Finding Ruin
by misunderstoodninjaluvr
Summary: Ruin is no ordinary girl.Her body is covered in angry red lines that she made.She cut them herself.It was her only way to deal.But when she has to go to a neighboring village, she meets someone who will change her life forever. Naruto/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! I thought I would be out for a bit as I tried to cook up some new ideas, but I was in the shower (where I get some of my best ideas, don't ask me why) and I came up with this!!! This is not connected to my last two fanfics, so no worries. So I hope you enjoy!!! If you like it or have suggestions, please review! That is always appreciated XD Let's begin!!!!! **

The silence that surrounded me was sickening. The room stunk of burning wax and old parchment. I was kneeling on a mat of weaved straw, a low table with a scroll and ink well sitting in front of me. My body shook with the intensity of my most recent message. I tried to lift the brush to dip it in the ink but I had seemed to temporarily lose my major motor skills. Soft cries were muffled by my hands as I tried so hard to hold it back. I was never supposed to cry, it was not acceptable, no matter what the message contained. Most of the time though, it was not the message itself but the side effects of it. I stiffened as I heard a pair of feet behind me shuffle. Beads clacked together as a guard left my room for a quick break. Why they had me guarded, I did not understand. I was so weak there was no chance of me running away.

I slipped a small kunai knife from my sleeve. I rolled my sleeve back to reveal my forearm. It was mangled by countless small lines. I took the kunai, bit my lip, and cut another line on my arm. The blood trickled down in a small glistening stream. I staunched the bleeding with my tongue. The pain of the cut stopped my shaking, and I was able to write down the message.

Surprisingly, the Elders called on me for a visit. The guard, whom I simply called Sen, told me to pick the most recent scrolls from my collection and to bring them with me. A small woman came out, gave me a new dress, and left. The dress was simple. It was just white with long, wide sleeves and a simple long skirt that just brushed the tops of my feet. I walked barefoot the Chamber of the Elders.

This place smelled even worse. It was the smell of old and rotting flesh that always made my stomach roll. The Elders were the oldest people of my village, the Village Hidden in the Ruins. They had never ventured beyond the village's boundaries and had never even gone to train to be a ninja, though I had not either. It was rumored that they were the original founders of the village but no one admitted to believing this. But I could see it in the guards that watched the Elders, they believed these two vultures were the founders of my village. I pulled back into myself when Sen pushed me forward in front of them.

There is no proper way to describe someone as ancient as the Elders. They were just so old they seemed disfigured. Their wrinkles had wrinkles and their liver spots had liver spots. They were just old. Supposedly, the two were twins, brother and sister, but because they were so old you could not tell their gender. All you knew was the one on the left was Tiyo and the one on the right was Riyo, always.

I stood in front of them. They stared at me with their ancient, beady black eyes. I waited for one of them to speak.

"Ruina, we hear that one of your messages is promising," said Tiyo.

I nodded with a shaky head. I was so shy and scared. There was just no way not to be afraid of them, but being shy was just who I was.

"What did you see?" Riyo asked.

I gulped down my fear, but it just crawled back up my throat. "Um, well, it-it was about another village near-nearby. An-and sev-several chil-children are, um, sick. They are go-going to die soon. We ha-have the me-medi-medicine to save them, Elders." I said in my soft voice.

The two looked at each other for a moment. I wondered how they had necks under all those wrinkles. Then they turned back to me. The scrolls I held in my arms began to quake in sync with me. I could feel one slipping from my sweaty palms. _Don't slip, don't slip, don't slip!_

The scroll ignored my begging and fell to the floor with a bouncing noise that sounded like it was laughing at my embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Elders, I ju-just--I mean, it sli-slip-slipped," I yammered.

"Silence, Ruina! Do not speak to us without being spoken to!" they yelled at me in unison. I nodded my head in response and picked up the scroll. I was shaking even harder than before.

"You will go to this village. May you tell us which village this is?" Tiyo asked

"The Village Hid-hidden in the, um, Clouds," I stuttered.

"Yes, you shall travel to this village with the medicine that you need to help. You will first stop at the Village Hidden in the Leaves where your escorts will be. Then you shall travel with them to this village and heal the sick, understood?" Riyo said.

"Yes, but Elders, why must I be sent out?"

The two laughed. "You are meaningless, you stupid thing. You are nothing but a shell that gives us what we want. You get visions from the past, present, and future and you help us make allies, start wars, stop epidemics, and end wars. Yet, you are nothing to anyone here. If you died, you could easily be replaced by another child that is not wanted by their parents. All we have to do is perform the Million Eyes jutsu on a child and turn them into an unimportant detail just like you. You were born unwanted, and you will die unwanted. Do you not know why we hide you away? You are seen as a monster, a sick creature that is driven mad by what you are. Is that true? Are you meaningless? Or do you believe you are important?" Tiyo and Riyo screamed at me in unison.

I knew I should not answer, but I knew what I was to everyone. I had not needed their reminder. It did not sting me to hear the truth. I knew I was nothing, and for the rest of my life, I would always be nothing. I was pushed in the back by Sen, a signal for me to leave. I left the room hearing the laughter of the retched Elders.

I was immediately sent back to my room. Sen gave me a small bag with enough room for three scrolls, a single well of ink, and a few brushes. A few small baggies and jars were set on my table. They were the ingredients for the cure of what was ailing the people of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. I saw how to make it, so I needed no instruction. I was not meant to bring anything else. I would be barefoot and I would wear the simple white dress. As the Elders had said, I am nothing and I will be treated as nothing. It was satisfying to have such a consistent life.

The journey to the Hidden Leaf was easy. It was just a short hike through the forest. I spent little time reflecting on thoughts. What was there to think about? I took out my kunai to give myself another slash when another wave of nerves took over. When I reached the village, the sun had just hidden behind the mountains with faces carved on them. Those faces must be of the Leaf's past leaders and of the present leader.

I was told to meet at a ramen shop called Ichiraku. I stood outside of the place for a few minutes until a tall girl about my age with pink hair stood next to me. She looked over at me, then turned away, then looked at me again. I heard somewhere that this action was called a double-take. I had never actually seen one before.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I looked down. I was embarrassed by this random person's concern for me. "Ye-yes, why would I not be?"

I looked up for a moment to see her shake her head. "No, you need some food and fresh clothes. Come with me." The girl grabbed my hand and dragged me down the congested dirt street.

A few minutes later, I was wearing an outfit made of my old dress. The girl, who had told me her name was Sakura, had stripped it off of me the moment I was in her room. She tossed a robe and me, took out some scissors, and got to work.

"I hope this works," she said.

I slipped on some black leggings that she wanted me to keep. I tugged the dress turned I don't know over my head. The sleeves were the same length but the dress had been cut to about the length of a tunic with short slits up both sides. A simple sash was tied around my waist. Sakura had into the collar of the shirt slightly, giving me a bit of, what was it called? Oh, yes, a bit of cleavage. Then, she turned me to the mirror.

At first, I jumped back in surprise. "Who is that?!" I exclaimed.

"You've never seen your reflection?" Sakura's mirror self asked me. I shook my head.

The girl in the mirror shook her head too. That had to be me, no doubt about it. My hair was white, pure white. I guess someone would say my hair was the color of snow, but I would not know because I had never ever seen snow in my life, not even in messages. My skin was pale which caused the white of my dress to be shockingly brighter than me. The skin under my eyes looked like I had bruises. What did that mean? My eyes were, what was that color?

"Sakura, wha-what color are m-my eyes?" I asked.

She rested her hands on my shoulder and stared hard at my reflection. "You don't know what green looks like? Well, your eyes are extremely green. You are actually very pretty," Sakura explained to me.

"Pretty?"

She gawked at me in disbelief. "How often to go outside?"

"Um, I, um, ca-can't re-mem-remember the last time I was out-outside." I hated my stutter.

Sakura was just about to say something else when she looked at the clock. "Oh crap! I was supposed to meet Kakashi sensei at Ichiraku's an hour ago!!! I'm sorry, but I have to go. You can come with me, but I won't be able to stay long."

I followed Sakura down the street. I was pleased that this time she wasn't dragging me like a child drags a blanket around.

When we made it to the shop, she left my side to greet a tall blond guy wearing a black and orange outfit. The man standing next to him had a shock of gray hair that stood on head, held up by his headband that hung low over his left eye. He had out a book that seemed to say Make-Out Paradise on it. From what I had seen in past messages about the Hidden Leaf Village, this man was wearing tradition Jonin garb.

I stood in the background in an uncomfortable stillness that seemed to always surround me. I was about to turn and leave, maybe find my escorts when the man spoke to me. "And you must be Ruina. Where are you off to?"

My face burned. "I don-don't know, s-sir," I answered.

"Call me Kakashi. Sakura, have you met this girl?"

"Yes, Kakashi sensei. But, I had no idea she was who we were escorting."

I glanced over at the blond boy who was holding his stomach. He was staring with a longing expression at Ichiraku's. He must be hungry.

"Naruto," Kakashi called. That must have been the blond boy's name, because he turned. "This is not time for food, we need to get Ruina to the Village Hidden in the Clouds quickly."

"Call me Ruin, pl-please," I said.

Naruto turned, suddenly noticing my existence, and leaned forward to examine me. I flinched away, afraid he might hit me. His eyes went wide with concern at me flinching away. "What's wrong with you?"

Sakura came from behind and slammed her fist into his head. He went crashing through the ground, moaning and groaning in pain. "YOU IDIOT!!!! DO YOU HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR ANYTHING?!?!"

My face was on fire and I was beginning to shake again. I was so nervous, so overcome with emotions that I did not understand. I was starting to be overwhelmed by the flood of the new that I could not hold much back for too long.

I was hyperventilating. I needed a distraction. There were too many people. I couldn't do anything with them all surrounding me. I was surrounded. I was being flooded. Choked. I was suffocating.

That was when I passed out.

**Cliffhanger, sorta, right? Well, I hope you liked it cuz I think this will be good!!! Review if you have suggestions or compliments or just wanna send me a virtual cookie n_n that is always appreciated!!! Next chapter will be up soon!!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there kiddies!!! I hope you liked the last chapter cuz here comes the next one faster than Konaha's Yellow Flash !!!!**

When I woke up, I felt the wind streaming through my hair. It cooled my damp face. Why was my face so moist? This was not the moisture of tears or saliva. It was…what was the word? It was sweat, I was sweating. This must be a side effect to passing out.

I was bouncing through the trees on something's back. I roved my eyes in their sockets to see that Naruto was carrying me through the trees at an extremely quick rate.

"How-how are you go-going so fast?" I whispered. My throat was dry so my voice was much softer than normal.

"Oh, you're awake! Are you okay, Ruin?" He sounded concerned. My face burned with fresh embarrassment. Why should he be concerned for me?

"I-I guess s-so."

"Good," he said and grinned at me. "Do you always faint like that? While you were sleeping, you were shaking a lot too. Have you ever noticed that?"

How would I notice if I were asleep? But the truth was, sleep did not come easily to someone like me. Sometimes, I would get a message in my sleep. I was terrified that I would forget it. Dreams were not things easily remembered.

Sakura was suddenly bouncing next to us. "Hey, Ruin, are you feeling okay?" she asked.

"Ye-yes." I hated my stutter. I was just so nervous. It all depends on the situation at hand for the way that my voice is. I just wanted us to get to this village so I can go back to my little cave of a room so I can be alone with my kunai and visions.

Kakashi was a bit of a way ahead of us. I felt a little bit awkward in my present position but I was afraid of speaking up. It took us a few minutes to stop, but when we did I dismounted my blond steed.

We had landed in a small meadow of grass. A simple circle in the center of the meadow with rocks around the perimeter and ash showed me that this must be a common rest stop for ninja such as my escorts.

"Sakura, you go out to look for some wood. Naruto, why don't you show our guest to the stream nearby?" Naruto nodded to his sensei and grabbed my elbow. We began the walk in silence.

"Kakashi sensei never said anything about what village you came from," he commented as if to get me to talk. It worked, a little. I didn't talk, I stuttered.

"I come from th-the Village Hid-den in th-the Ruins."

"I guess that's why you have such a strange name." He shrugged.

He was not even close to the real reason my name was Ruina. Most people called me Ruin, but the Elders and my guards called me Ruina just because they were old fashioned. They didn't believe in nicknames. I flinched away at the memories that came flooding back.

The rest of the walk continued in silence, except for Naruto's cheery whistling. I found it nice to hear music. I had only ever heard it as an echo in my messages. I had always found it a relaxing thing.

When we made it to the stream, Naruto stripped off his pants and jacket to reveal a simple pair of boxers and a tank-top. I blushed a deep crimson. I blushed way too much, but it was just a reaction to practically everything new. He waded waist deep into the water. He splashed the water in his face and sighed as if he was instantly refreshed.

"You coming in?" he called. I fidgeted with my sleeves. My bare feet were cool on the muddy green grass that ran along the river's bank.

"Um," I bit my lip. I couldn't let him see my scars. They were not just on my arms, but all over my body. They covered my stomach and legs and my sides. Everywhere. I shook my head at him.

"What is it?"

"No, I'll just wait for you to be done." I nearly cried out with joy. No stutter! Hopefully, my nervous stutter would stay away.

Naruto swam around in a casual manner. I kneeled on the grass and watched. His abdomen was sculpted in a way I had never seen. His tank-top clung to his chest when he climbed on top of the water. He was walking on it…WAIT! HE WAS WALKING ON WATER!?

"HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?" I exclaimed. I stood and ran closer to the water.

"This? Oh, I just focus my chakra in my feet and keep a steady flow so I can stand. It's an old trick I learned a while back." His smile beamed down at me. The water just continued on its merry way. He was as bothersome to the current as a tiny pebble was.

"That's incredible," I breathed. It truly was. In the life that I lead, I had seen plenty of amazing things, but what he could do was just unfathomable to me.

He walked off of the water and hopped on to the bank and sat next to. He shook his hair out like a dog would. I felt the ghost of a smile creep at the corners of my lips.

"Have you ever even _seen _a ninja before?"

I shook my head in a furious flurry. My short white hair tickled my cheeks.

"I can teach you if you want," he said in a manner that made me get the feeling he really wanted to show off. It seemed like this boy was very proud of his accomplishments.

I shook my head again. "No, it's okay. I've never had any training before, so it would just end up with me in the water and then I would have to travel in wet clothes."

He nodded his head in understanding. "Well…let's try it anyway!" He grabbed my wrist and pulled me up.

When my toes brushed against the cool water I felt the hair on my body bristle just like a cat's. The water was colder than I expected. I was used to having a bath with warm water, the way most people do. I had never felt cold water.

"No, N-Naruto, let go. Come on, please," I pleaded.

He stopped suddenly. "Oh, sorry, I guess I got a bit carried away." His face fell. I felt a little guilty for that but I really did not want to be dragged into the water.

"I'll be over here when you're done, Ruin!" Naruto called as he jogged over to stand with his back to me.

I stared at the water. I felt like I was about to face a dragon or some other ancient, terrifying beast. I dipped my toe in again and jumped back with a squeal. This was _so_ not happening. "Um, Naruto, I think we should just head back to camp!" I yelled as I dragged my feet so they would no longer be cold like the water of the stream.

"Okay." He was quickly dressed and decent and we were on our way back.

That night was a simple thing. I was comfortable on the ground. The soft grass beneath me was more comfortable than the straw mat I was forced to sleep on in my chambers. This was much better than home.

Kakashi was reading his book, which by now I knew for sure it was called Make-Out Paradise. I giggled softly to myself at the fact that grown man was reading something that sounded so childish. When I knew he would believe me, I told him I had to go to the bathroom. He told me to watch where I was going.

I knew I was safe. That Kakashi seemed like a wise and skilled ninja for such a young age. I felt protected, especially with Sakura and Naruto there as well.

I followed the path to the stream. I had carried along with me a single scroll, my ink well and a brush. I was worried I may get a message. As I sat there, it thought about what my life was like, and how it came to be.

The Elders had picked me out from an orphanage. I seemed like the least wanted child there. With my deep green eyes and 'unsightly' white hair, no family would want such an odd looking child. I was picked up and dropped off in my room the same day I was chosen. It has been that way ever since.

I felt a prickling of heat on the back of my head. A message was coming. I made the proper hand signs and said, "Eyes be opened!" and I was there.

The vision was simple, nothing of importance. All I saw was that a nearby village, one that I had never seen before, had just recently been given an extra citizen to its populace. The citizen was tiny baby girl that, from what I could tell, had a bright shining future. But then I saw that she would not have a very happy childhood, it would be filled with pain and suffering, but that would make her great. I saw blood, so much blood. And death, just too much death for such a small thing to be able to handle, even when she aged.

When the vision was over, I wrote it down in the scroll, rolled it up and sealed it and said, "Eyes be closed!" The prickling was gone. But the shaking had returned.

My kunai slipped out of my sleeve as if by its own accord. I gave it a sad grin in greeting as I rolled up my sleeve to reveal a small clear patch of crisp white skin that had not yet been marked. I was about to have my blade slice when I heard a noise behind me.

I froze.

The noise came again.

I did not move.

Suddenly, Naruto was on one knee in front of me, with his back leg bent slightly. He was staring at me with wide eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he demanded as he ripped the kunai from my hand.

**Slight cliffhanger? Are you curious as to how Ruin is going to explain herself?!?!? Well, tell me what you think!! REVIEW, MY FRIENDS!! IF YOU DO, VIRTUAL COOKIES FOR EVERYONE!! OM-NOM-NOM! What did you think of the chapter?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Are you wondering what Ruin is going to say? Is she going to tell the truth or lie? LET'S FIND OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!**

The shaking became more violent as he continued to stare at me. Naruto's eyes were so fierce with emotion, I had never seen anything like him before.

"I, um, I ju-just, um." there was no way I could explain this to him.

"That's all you have to say?!" he growled. "UM?!" He was so angry and confused, I could feel it rolling off of him.

What was I supposed to say? _Yeah, I was just going to cut myself, but no worries, I've done it a _bunch _of times. _No way I could explain myself to him, not like this.

"I don't get it," he muttered, more to himself than me. I could tell by the way he was looking at the kunai that he was disgusted and why shouldn't he be? But I found that frustrating. He had a good life, I could see that from the way he had friends, people to look after him, I had none of that.

I ripped the kunai from his hand and stood suddenly. He stood as well.

"Why? Why do you do that?" Naruto reached out to roll up one of my sleeves but I jerked away.

I was sure of what I had to say. It was cryptic and scary, but I knew that it was true. "You wouldn't understand." And with that, I turned on my heel and walked away. I felt so cold and alone in the huge world. It always felt so wrong that I was allowed to watch the world but never be apart of it. That was my life and I had to live it. There was no other way.

Then I had a terrible moment. I had forgotten my supplies pertaining my visions back with Naruto. He couldn't read or see any of it!

I turned around and ran back as quickly as possible. When I made it he was just sitting there. I walked past him in a brisk manner, rolled up the scroll and took up my brush and ink well. I looked down at him. I felt pity for him. He seemed like such a good spirit, someone who was not easily broken by the shock of what he experienced. I guess this was something new to him. Just as I began to walk back, he grabbed my arm as I passed.

"Wait," he whispered. He then tugged me down next to him and was silent. I was beginning to shake again. The way his face looked was making me anxious.

Suddenly, he shoved me aside just as a person sprung from the tree above. I fell on my face and skid a bit, my supplies flying out of my hands. The man was dressed in all black with splotches of green so he could camouflage in his surroundings. What was he after?

He flung himself at me, but Naruto caught him with a kunai, pushing the other ninja back.

"What do you want?!" Naruto yelled.

"The girl comes with us," whispered the man.

The way he looked at me made me feel like a piece of meat. He was just…spooky. I took out my kunai and slashed at my wrist as I tried to feel some semblance of control over what was happening. The blood dripped down onto the grass. It looked so ugly mixed in with the beauty of the moist green life that lay beneath me. I sat up slowly as I tried to keep my balance.

"Oh no!" I gasped. I knew this ninja, he was not someone I could easily forget.

He was Jennto, that was all I could truly remember. I fought against the mental walls I had put in front of bad memories. Then I found it, the truth. Jennto had been the one who picked me up from the orphanage that day. I was quaking with fear, and the blood seeping from my newest cut was not helping. As my heart beat faster, the blood flowed faster. I could not staunch it. The world began to sway before me as I fought to stay conscious. It was not happening. I suck deep into a sleep that felt drugged. I was out, gone.

Naruto

Naruto turned for a moment to check on Ruin. She was bleeding from the wrist, the kunai lying next to her. She was unconscious.

"Damn it!" he yelled as he deflected the enemy ninja again. This guy was not he brightest crayon in the box. His skills seemed sloppy, as if he were drunk.

Then the man made some hand signs in such a swift moment that Naruto knew he had misjudged his opponent.

"Lightning Style: Human Lightning Rod Jutsu!" the man exclaimed. At that moment, the air was filled with the sound of crackling electricity. Before Naruto could react, he was struck by a terrible flash of lightning that left him writhing on the ground. He began to stand just as another shock hit in.

The jutsu did not last long and soon the bolts of electricity stopped. Naruto had tried to stand several times, but each time had been shot down my the shocks. He twitched as he was finally able to stand. His breathing was ragged. Naruto would not stand down though, he had to protect Ruin.

"I'll only ask, one more time." Naruto paused as he took in some air. "What do you want with Ruin?"

"She will not be permitted to reach the Village Hidden in the Clouds," was the man's simple statement before he lunged forward. "Water Style: Twin Dragons Jutsu!" Water burst from the stream and flowed down at Naruto, he dodged it just in time though.

_Kakashi sensei, where are you?_ Naruto needed some sort of assistance if he wanted to beat this guy. He knew that he could use his Rasengan, but that used a lot of chakra, and he needed to keep his supply up if any other guys showed up.

As if hearing Naruto's thoughts, Kakashi appeared. "Water Style: Twin Dragons Jutsu!" He copied the man's jutsu perfectly.

Naruto expected the ninja to dodged the attack easily just like he had, but he was too slow. He was drowned in the crashing water.

Naruto waited for a second, watching Kakashi as he strolled towards the unconscious ninja. When Kakashi turned around, Naruto nodded and turned to kneel beside Ruin. Her wrist was still bleeding terribly, the blood would not stop flowing.

He began to shake her a bit, gentle at first and then a bit rougher as he continued. "Ruin! Wake up! Snap out of it!!!!" He was getting so frustrated. Naruto felt a sickening guilt in the pit of his stomach. Somehow, he knew, this was his fault.

She looked so pale in the soft light of the moon. Was she dead? Naruto leaned down to put his ear to her chest. There was a soft beating, but very slight.

"She needs to get to Sakura, now!" Kakashi ordered. Naruto nodded and carried back to their camp.

When the two reached the camp, Sakura was already awake, though she seemed slightly groggy. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail. "Set her there," she told Naruto, pointing to Ruin's mat.

Sakura leaned over the girl. Naruto stared down at Ruin. Her short, thin white hair was splayed behind her in a kind of halo. Her mouth hung open only the slightest bit. What was going to happen?

Sakura used a simple healing jutsu to close the gash on Ruin's wrist. "You're lucky that her wounds are really simple. There," she said with satisfaction. "She'll be out for a bit, then she'll be perfectly fine. Except." Sakura began to lean down and lift up Ruin's sleeve but Naruto caught her hand.

"Just let her sleep," he said with a casual smile.

Sakura shrugged, looking slightly confused and annoyed. She went over to her stuff and packed up. The sky was still filled with stars. They needed to get going especially now that there were other ninjas after them.

Naruto glanced down at Ruin's sleeping form and felt a boiling frustration in his chest. How could she do that to herself? Naruto's mind flashed to his friend, Gaara, who had felt the same pain and loneliness as Naruto. For a second, Naruto was grateful that Ruin only did this to herself and to no one else. Then he shook himself, sickened by this thought. No matter what, there was no excuse for such self-mutilation. But as he looked down at her face, at how peaceful Ruin was in her sleep, he had to wonder if what she did really did help her. No, again, there was no reason for her to do that to herself. Naruto had saved Gaara, and now he will save Ruin.

**So, what do you think? I know the pace is a bit slow but I'm feeling a little bit anime-pace-ish, which is EXTREMELY slow when it comes to making a fight sequence less than 2 episodes. So, the next chapter will be up ASAP! And always, comment please!!!!!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**New chapter! Here we gooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!**

Naruto

The night air was cool on Naruto's moist face as he, Kakashi and Sakura bounced through the trees. Ruin was perched on his back, snoring softly in his ear. He had no idea when she would wake. At one point, he was tempted to whisper to her while she slept. There was a possibility that she talked in her sleep and that would make for good travel entertainment. But, no, Naruto let the girl sleep. In the world there is no other more peaceful place than the dreaming subconscious of your own mind.

As the hopped through the foliage, Naruto could tell from how tense Kakashi was that there was trouble afoot. Ruin's weight as his back became more apparent as he tried to figure out just exactly what the deal with her was. Why was she so important? What was the true reason for his team to be escorting her? Unfortunately, there was no way to get an answer until Ruin woke up, and even then she may not even speak about the truth of the matter.

Naruto picked up his speed slightly and caught up to Kakashi. "Kakashi sensei?"

"Hm?" the man replied in a distracted way.

"Why do you think those ninjas were after Ruin?"

Kakashi looked over at Naruto for a second. From what Naruto could tell, Kakashi was just as stumped as he was.

"When I took this mission, it was said to be a simple one, maybe C rank at most. But, Lady Tsunade did not know any further information besides the facts. This girl needed to make it to the Village Hidden in the Clouds and couldn't make it alone. She did not know exactly why the girl had to make it, but that it was of dire importance." Kakashi stared forward then glanced at Ruin's still form. "There is something special about her. Why? I'm not sure. Maybe when she wakes up you can ask her," Kakashi suggested.

"Why me?"

"Well, obviously she likes you. Sakura would try too hard and be just, well, you know how Sakura tries to get information out of people. She isn't exactly very stealthy," Kakashi whispered so Sakura would not hear him.

"I'm right here, you know," Sakura said in a flat tone. Both Kakashi and Naruto were embarrassed to discover that Sakura had been hopping next to Kakashi the entire time this conversation had been taking place. Naruto felt his cheeks flame and Kakashi began to sweat a bit. They both knew the risks of getting on Sakura's bad side.

"Oh, Sakura! It's so nice to see you!" Kakashi said as he tried to save himself.

Sakura just sighed and rolled her eyes. Naruto and Kakashi let out a sigh of relief for being given a chance to live. Suddenly, the terrain began to change. The trees began to grow farther and farther apart. The land was growing into a slightly mountainous region with grass covering the vast expanse.

Ruin began to stir. Then, she began to whisper softly. Without warning, she started to scream.

Ruin

There was screaming coming from somewhere, or at least that's what I thought. It seemed to be coming from a great distance, with an echo-y air about it. But then, it was right in my ears, in her head. Was I the one screaming? My mind began to flash. I saw blood, knives, swords, falling bodies, stacked of burning pillars of bodies. Why couldn't I ever have a pleasant vision? The world began to shake and my screaming shook with the world. Wake up! Wake up! _WAKE UP!!_

"Ruin, are you alright?" I heard a familiar voice ask. My eyes flew open but immediately I was reaching for my scroll and ink. I needed to write this down.

"Where…wh-where are my scrolls?" I cried.

I felt the cool parchment roll placed into my hand and my brush in my other hand. I began to write furiously. When I finished, I realized that I was lying in the middle of a field, on my back, with three curious faces staring down at me. I let out a squeak and immediately scooted away with my elbows.

"Wh-what?" I managed to stutter out. I bit down hard on my lip as I waited for them to say something, anything.

"Well, I think we've learned something here," Kakashi stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Naruto glanced up at him but I was too busy hyperventilating to pay any attention to what was truly going on. Did they know what had just happened? Did they know the truth? Had they figured out that I was a freak? That I was just a worthless piece of trash?

I sat up and stared at my hands. They shook like an earthquake, trembling ever so slightly and as I continued to stare the shaking increased. Soon, the trembling overcame my whole body until I was completely shaking. I grabbed my upper arms to try and hold myself together. I did not need to have another meltdown, not again. But the urge was coming, the unbreakable urge to puncture my skin with my kunai. I was so tempted to just do it right then and there, in front of everyone. But, no, there was too much of a risk of them freaking out as Naruto had before.

I was suddenly away of my surroundings. We were in the middle of a vast field freckled with bushes and flowers. Rolling hills were around us and they led up to huge mountains. It was a beautiful place to be but the reason we were there was not a beautiful reason worthy of such magnificence. I looked up once more to see the three ninjas staring at me. I looked away with my cheeks burning.

"Ruina, why don't you and I go for a walk?" Naruto said in a firm tone.

I looked up and let out a small gasp. He stood and put his hand out for me. I took it and he pulled me up. We began to walk away.

"Okay, we'll take a break then," I heard Sakura sigh as we walked away.

I still had my scroll and brush clutched in my hands. I reached around for my pack, put my supplies away, and we walked in silence. It was like yesterday when we were walking to the stream. He must be thinking about what to say. I didn't mind. The more he thought the less I had to say.

I blinked. When I opened my eyes a millisecond later, Naruto was standing in front of me. I bumped my nose into his. I leapt back immediately. He just blinked at me.

"What the hell is your deal? He reached out to grab my arm but I leapt back further, nearly tripping on a big clump of bunched up grass. "Why do you do that, Ruina? Why do you do that to yourself?" He sounded so broken, but why? Was this broken boy so upset because of me? I almost laughed out loud at such a ridiculous notion. Of course he wasn't broken about me! He was just confused as to why I did it, that was all. Most people, including Naruto, find what I do wrong. Yes, even I sometimes find it appalling. But it is my only escape.

I turned away from him. I felt a sudden assurance surge through me. When I spoke, I had no stutter. "What you saw before was a side effect of what I am. When I started to scream," I flinched away at the images from my vision. "I was having a vision. I'm the Messenger, given the gift of a million eyes by the Million Eyes Jutsu only my village is able to perform. I am not one of a kind, I am not special. I am only valued for what I see, nothing else. If my Elders wished, I could be struck down dead at this very moment. I am that replaceable.

"I see the present and future. I must write down all that I see. If I see something important enough, like a village under attack or an enemy drawing up a plan for attack, my village can stop them. That is why my village is so famous. We have the biggest success rate of any village when it comes to our missions. All because of the Messenger. And for now, that is me.

"I cannot tell you what I see and you cannot read what I write. That is against the rules, and I wouldn't show you even if I could. Outsiders are not to be trusted." I spun around at him, surprised that he had come so close as I was speaking. He was a few inches from me, his hand out slightly as if reaching for me. "I do what I do because of my pain, my frustration, my need for control. You could never understand my pain. You don't know what it is like to be nothing, to be unimportant!" I rolled up my sleeves and lifted up my arms for him to stare at. "Look at the pain written on my arms!" Where had this strong façade of a girl come from? Where was I beneath such a shiny surface?

Naruto reached out and ran his finger along one of my scars. I continued to hold my arms up for him. "You don't know anything," he told me in a harsh voice. Before I could even gasp he was looking up at me with lightning in his eyes. "I know your pain. You are not the only person I have ever met who shares a similar pain as my own. But, Ruina, look at what you have done to yourself. No matter the pain you are going through, the fact that you would inflict more pain on yourself is so wrong. How could this possibly help? You're causing more pain than necessary!"

He continued to trace my scars, but neither of us said anything. His touch was like fire on my snow skin. I couldn't breath. The sensation of my burning lungs was almost as calming as the bite of my kunai, almost. I stared at him. He seemed so fascinated by the pain written on my arms. It was as if seeing it there, displayed in such a raw manner put him into a state of awe. I wasn't sure exactly, but I was too busy staring at his facial expression to think about anything else.

He continued to trace my scars, but he spoke. "Why are we going to the Village Hidden in the Clouds?"

I stiffened. Naruto must have noticed because he stopped the tracing. "I-I don't know if I should t-tell y-you." Damn that stutter!

He tugged my arm to pull me closer to him. I began to wonder if Kakashi and Sakura could see us. I really hoped not. I wanted him to let go. My heart was like a, what was the thing that flew in the sky? With wings? Um…a bird? Yeah, my heart felt just like a bird. I was stuck in the cage of my non-life and I wanted out. I wanted to tell Naruto, I really truly did. But, it was just too complicated. He could not know the truth nor could he ever fully understand me. I hardly knew the world. I only recognized the simple things. I couldn't even remember what a bird was for goodness sake's! That was me, Ruin. I am a ruin of what I could have been. I almost smiled at the irony. Turns out my parents had a good reason for giving me up. They knew I was bound to be a ruin of a girl, that was why they gave me such a name as Ruina.

"Ruin, what is going on?" Naruto asked.

I stared at him, at the kind blond ninja who may even understand me. No, impossible. That could never be true. It was time for me to pull away, recoil from this boy's touch. But I just wanted to stay there in the sight of his intense blue eyes and feel something for once besides the bite of my kunai. It was time for me to make a change. I needed to choose the real things I wanted in my life. Did I always want to depend on a blade as my companion and lover? Did I always want to be nothing, to be meaningless? It was time to choose.

**What will happen next?!?! **


	5. Chapter 5

Ruin

"We need to get to the Village Hidden in the Clouds as soon as possible." I had already started walking away from Naruto. I could feel his gaze on my back but soon he was right next to me.

"What's the rush, Ruin? There isn't any reason to be quick is there?"

I kept walking with my eyes straight ahead. "The reason we are going to the Village Hidden in the Clouds is so that I can stop an epidemic. I have the materials for the cure, but if we don't hurry the entire village will be gone."

"Well, in that case," Naruto said in a gruff voice. Then I was on his back and zooming across the grassy expanse.

"We need to get out of here, Kakashi sensei. People are dying and Ruin is there only hope. Let's go!"

Kakashi looked up distractedly from his book. He snapped it shut, tucked it in his pocket, and ran after Naruto. Sakura was right on his heels.

We traveled quickly. How else was there to travel but by ninja? I almost laughed at my own joke, but I had been sobered up by the thoughts of what I needed to do. I needed to save this village. But how? From what I could tell from the attackers the other day, this mission was more than just an escort mission to save some sick kids. There was something wrong going on. Something horrible.

As we ran across the plains there was only the sound of the ninjas feet meeting the moist grass. I wanted to talk, maybe just a little bit, but everyone would hear me. I just wanted to talk to Naruto. Was that so wrong? As we kept going, I saw a shadow. My head whipped back, causing my neck to crack in a really loud, awkward way. The shadow was gone but my neck was now throbbing. Again, the shadow crossed my line of vision. But, I sat still and waited. As we continued to move, the shadow did not. It floated in the same spot. I moved my hand to check if it was just my own shadow, yet it was not. It was kind of creepy.

_Moving on..._

I could feel myself gradually thawing to the idea of human interaction. Perhaps I did have some worth after all.

**_Never!_**

There was a voice somewhere. What had it said? Never? My heart beat as fast as a caged bird beating its wings against the bars of its cage until it bled. I was about to ask Naruto if he heard anything when…

**_You are nothing!_**

Okay, I was officially spooked. I mean, I was used to the occasional voice instead of a vision, but this voice seemed to be hearing my thoughts. How was that possible? I just wanted to relax in my new found courage, but I knew that this feeling of ease would not last long. How will I keep this up? Will be purpose be gone once I help the Village Hidden in the Clouds?

**_You have no purpose._**

The voice was like the hiss of water meeting a hot griddle. It was spooky, no doubt about it. I did not know where I was to go from there. Should I tell someone about the voice? Or should I just ignore it, act like there is nothing wrong? I knew the answer: Just stay silent. That was a lesson ingrained into my head from the moment I became the Messenger. Just stay silent. They never wanted me to make any noise when I saw my visions. No emotions. No speck of the human spirit allowed. I felt a stinging in my arms as I thought of all those days before I found my release. I had felt nothing. I did not know how to feel. So what am I to do now?

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**this chapter was a bit short but i'm kinda breaking stuff up a bit. hope you enjoyed it so far**


	6. Chapter 6

There isn't really much that I can say about my childhood that would make me go, 'Man, I wish I was 5!' because, the truth is, I wish I had never been born. I had no where to go because of my parents. It was all their fault. They were the reasons my life sucked. There was no other way to see it.

I needed to talk to Naruto. The voice was really beginning to scare me. Where was it coming from?

_**Stupid girl!**_

I nearly jumped out of my skin. It was really beginning to be disturbing. I waited until Kakashi and Sakura took the lead before I began to speak to Naruto.

"D-do you he-hear that?" I whispered in his ear.

"Hear what?"

That confirmed it. The voice was focused on me. But how?

A few moments passed in silence. Then Naruto spoke.

"What happened to you when you were younger, Ruin?"

Whoa, that was off limits territory, even for me. Those memories were barely touched. They were kept locked up in the back of my mind, not to be thought about. The only time they had surfaced since becoming the Messenger had been with Naruto which was not a good sign. My hand flew to my forehead. What was going on here? Okay, just chill. No worries. I'm just going to calmly dismount my blond pony ninja and runaway before anyone notices.

I was getting afraid of myself. What was going on? And then the voice and everything else that was surrounding me. I felt like my world was caving in. I felt the weight of my kunai in my knapsack and I ached for the nip of the blade as it punctured my skin. I mentally shook myself. The next stop, I would have to make a run for it. Maybe I could make it to the Village Hidden in the Clouds by myself. I just needed to get away, but I also felt the cries of so many Cloud villagers as they suffered. I needed to help them, but on the other hand, my other very selfish hand, I couldn't stay here any longer. Everyone was too…what would the proper word be? I searched my mind for a vision that could represent the word I needed. Evil…no. Malicious…no, not at all. Devil spawn…okay, that one was just a no! Then I find it, the smile of a woman as she looked down at her child. It was a nice vision. That was it! Nice, they were too nice. Especially Naruto.

I closed my eyes and watched that vision for a bit. I saw through the eyes of an infant. The child had puggy hands that held on to her mother's short hair every once in awhile as his/hers mother swung him/her around. I listened for a giggle, or any other sort of noise. Then I heard a soft word that sounded like girl, so I concluded the child was a girl. The mother seemed so happy, she practically glowed down at her baby. The child was just happy to be basking in such a glow, such a warm essence. The woman's hair was extremely light in color, perhaps even white if the sun hit it just right. Suddenly, a man came into view. He was roughly 22, about the age of the woman, and his hair was bright red. He smiled at the child. The couple was so happy it made me ache for something I never had, could never have.

I opened my eyes but the warmth of that family still clung to my insides. Enough day dreaming. I needed to figure out what was going to happen next. But first, I had to answer Naruto.

"Maybe I'll tell you later," I told him in a dismissive tone. Then I began to think of plans.

I fell asleep after too much thinking. I could hear soft echoes of the parents' laughter as I slept. I never dreamed.

When I awoke, we had stopped once more to make camp. I couldn't help but wonder how they ever got anywhere at how often they stopped. But it was nightfall, and from what I could tell from the way Naruto, Sakura and even Kakashi were sleeping, they were really tired. So, it took this as my chance to flee.

I took out a scroll and wrote a simple message. There was no need to be too personal. I rolled it up and tucked it away in Naruto's knapsack. He'd find it, or maybe when they realized I was gone he would freak out and lose all focus while Kakashi found the note. Yeah, that seemed like more of a possibility.

I began to run, no, sprint, away from them. I knew Kakashi would soon be alarmed by some disturbance and he would awake. I needed to be long gone by then.

How was this going to work? I had no idea. I just needed to stop questioning myself. My knapsack slapped against my back as I pushed myself even harder, but my body was unused to the exertion. I guess being cooped up for 12 years of my life took a toll on my physical fitness. I tried to ignore the ache in my side and I pushed even harder, trying so hard not to cry out in pain as my body fought against my running. But I couldn't stop, just couldn't get far enough away.

_**Stupid girl, you'll never be far enough away. **_

Naruto

It was when he felt a slight nudge on his side that Naruto awoke. He did not open his eyes though. He knew better than that. _Stay still, stay quiet. The enemy can't know that you are conscious._

But no other sound came at his ears, so Naruto slowly opened his blue eyes. He heard the soft _shush _of grass as feett met the ground at a decent pace. Who could that possibly be?

Naruto lifted himself to a sitting position with a soft grunt. He scanned the area with a drowsy eye. Then something clicked in his foggy mind and he looked again.

Ruin was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Naruto

Naruto spun around to Kakashi and Sakura. Kakashi was already awake and standing. Naruto stood and walked over to his sensei.

"She's gone," he stated.

"I know," was all Kakashi said in reply.

Naruto knelt down to shake Sakura from sleep. She awoke and lurched towards Naruto, kunai drawn. When she noticed who it was, her hand stopped.

"What is it?"

Naruto looked at her, his eyes filled with frustration. "Ruin is gone."

Ruin

I found a sanctuary, more like a cave actually, and rested there for the day. Traveling by night was my best bet. Where was I going? I had no idea. Why did I run? That I did have an answer for. The emotions. It was as simple as that. I just saw Naruto and wanted to pour all my truth into him. It scared me more than my visions.

I thought back to a few hours ago, when I had thought I had made a choice, a choice to stay and be more, be a better Ruin. But, as everyone knows, there is no such thing as a better ruin, just ruin. That was all.

I tried to sleep through the day, but every time my eyes shut a headache seared my brain. I just wanted peace, but all I could see were the thousands of those who would die in the Cloud Village, but I knew it was all a ploy. Or at least, I hoped so. From what I figured from the attack on my escorts and me, this was much bigger than a silly disease. I had been sent a false image to get me to leave the safety of my village. That would be the only way to kill me. Or, if you really wanted it done quickly, you could just tell the Elders that I saw the sunshine and I would be dead. _No happiness for Ruin! No sir! That could NEVER happen!_

I tried to fluff my knapsack but it just deflated back to being lumpy with my supplies. Just let this day be over.

_*__**INSERT TIME SKIP HERE!***_

4 Days Later

The sun had just hidden its glowing self as I began to dare peek out of my hiding spot. The past few days had been torture. My stomach ached from lack of food, but that I was used to for my village rarely ever fed me more than 3 times a week. Dirt was caked to my clothing and hair, again, I was used to being filthy. My village did not expect me to have good hygiene nor did they help me towards such a thing. One bath every two weeks. That was it. I had found out, early on during my stay in the cave, that I would be sharing it with several hundred bats. This was no bother to me though. The thing that was torture was that whenever I closed my eyes, I would see _him_. _He_ would look at me, eyes filled with sadness and frustration and yell, "Why did you leave, Ruin?! You could have done so much! Come back, Ruin. For me?"

It was only a dream, but it was the same one every night.

Absolute torture.

I wondered if they were looking for me at all. Did they think I was worth saving? That was laughable.

It took me a few tries before I was able to pull myself up a tree. I still was as weak as a stuffed animal. I just wanted to end this, my life. I had no purpose. What was I supposed to be doing? All I did was run from my problems, but that was the only way to prevent any problems from actually occurring. If I had stayed, something would have happened. What? I wasn't sure. But I knew it involved _he_. I had never been more sure of something in my life.

_**Hiding again? Tsk…tsk little Ruin. Why don't you just go kill yourself? You know it is what you should do. End your suffering. Let the nothingness you have always been consume you. End it, Ruina.**_

That voice again. It only came to me whenever I went outside. I didn't know what was going on, but it would not leave me alone.

Let it go. Ignore it.

_**Pretty girl. Stupid girl. You'll never be rid of me.**_

What was going on? I knew I kept asking the same questions to myself, but still. How else was I going to live if I had no questions to answer. I knew that I wasn't going to end my existence, no matter how much like crap I feel. I needed to live, to see another day. But, truth be told, I still don't know why.

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**Yes i do know that this chapter is quite short but i'm kinda hitting a wall at the moment. May be a little break in updates. I'm currently writing two stories but yeah. I don't know if i'll even finish this cuz no one even seems to be reading it. o well, i'm actually kinda curious as to what will happen next. Maybe i'll finish and maybe i wont. it all depends if there are readers out there who care! ANYONE? ANYONE?!**


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto

Naruto lay awake in his bed. Today was the anniversary of Ruin's disappearance. She had been gone for four days. Naruto groaned and rolled over onto his side, the moon bathing him in light. What was he supposed to do? His squad had had to return without Ruin. The mission had been declared a failure. But deep inside Naruto, he still felt like there was some unfinished business between himself and Ruin. He knew that he had to find her.

Naruto dove into his mind, searched for anything that may lead him to her. He dove further and found himself standing in front of Kyuubi's cage. How it loathed to be locked up. Naruto was pleased by that.

He looked deep into the recesses of the cage. The Nine-Tailed Fox stood erect but its eyes had lost their pupils. What was that about?

Naruto focused on the demon's chakra and pulled. It did this twice before the fox's pupils reappeared. "What were you doing?" Naruto questioned.

The fox only laughed menacingly. "I do not always have to confined to your fleshy shell, child. I may let my mind wonder if I choose."

Naruto knew this already. But still, he didn't think it sounded like a good thing.

"What were you doing? Be specific, fox!" Naruto demanded.

"Touchy, little boy. I was with a little girl with hair as white as snow. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about."

Suddenly, Naruto was prickling with rage. "What did you do to her?!" he screeched.

The fox laughed again. "I told her the truth."

"Where. Is. She."

The fox sighed. "You always have to ruin my fun, stupid child. Fine, as I am your captive, I shall show you."

A few minutes later, Naruto was dressed with a knapsack over his shoulder. He was off to find Ruin.

Ruin

I was up in the tree for a few minutes before the pounding headache warned me. A vision was coming. I scaled down the tree quickly and hustled back to my cave. I took out a scroll and some ink and waited for the onslaught.

An image, a single image, no noise, no movement, just an image. It was a boy, short with blond hair and wore an orange outfit. His collar was white and hit him just at the chin. I watched this image for something, anything. He had eyes the color of the sky. And he was frozen in time, jumping from one tree to the next. Then something happened. The image changed. It became a sort of movie, as it fast forwarded through a life. The child became taller, his hair sharper in the way it spiked up from his head. The outfit changed next, becoming black and orange. Oh, God. No way. And then the image began to move and I knew I was watching something happening right now. It was Naruto and he was searching for something. Me? And I knew, with absolute certainty, that he was going to be here any second.

The message ended.

I stood quickly and wrote down the basics. I practically skipped out of my cave.

Naruto was coming!

Naruto

Naruto had only been traveling for a few hours before he caught site of a white flash in the distance. Than another. And then the flash was jumping up and down, waving something that look like a stick. An arm? Naruto could see that the tree line ended soon. When he came to the final tree, he rested and could make out the form. It was a person. He jumped from the tree and sprinted. When he recognized who it was he didn't bother stopping. He just slammed right into her.

"Ruin!" He crushed her close to his chest.

Ruin

I knew it was him before he slammed into me. He hugged me so close and squeezed me so hard I felt like I was going to pop. I was suddenly extremely thankful for the bath I had taken in a nearby pond last night.

"Ruin!" he exclaimed and held me tighter.

I couldn't help it. Tears began to stream down my face. Please no, not now. Don't break down, Ruin. Stay strong, you know he's only happy that he didn't get someone killed. He doesn't care that you're alive.

"I've been so worried, Ruin. You have no idea." He pulled back and looked at me, his hands resting on my shoulders. He moved a tentative figure to wipe away a tear but he stopped short.

No, Naruto. Don't stop please. I need this to happen. I need you.

I couldn't say it.

He took a step back. "You left."

I blanched. My stomach twisted into knots as I thought about how tortured I had been by leaving. Had I tortured him?

"Yes, but only because there was no point for me to stay."

He shook his head and stared hard at the ground.

"You left--"

"I _had _to. There was no other choice. I could feel it in my gut that the messages about the Cloud Village were fakes. Someone wanted me gone and I ju--"

"Quiet," he snarled an interruption, "I wasn't finished yet."

I held myself completely still. He took another step back.

"You left…" he paused and swallowed. "You left me, Ruin. You left me without even saying goodbye."

"What about the note?" I squeaked.

He threw back his and laughed. "That was no goodbye. That was an excuse." He reached behind his back and pulled out my letter.

_"Dear Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto," _he read. _"I am sorry to say that I will not be continuing on this journey to the Village Hidden in the Clouds. I have discovered that my messages have been false the entire time. Also, I feel like it would be better if I left now as to not burden you with a forced goodbye. We may meet again and we may not."_ He stared at me. "You just ended it like that, you didn't even sign your name."

I wanted to run forward and wrap my arms around his shoulders and plead him to forgive me. I stayed where I was.

"Do you want to know my story?" I asked in a small whisper.

"Yes," he answered in the same tone.

I led him into my cave. And I began to tell him my story, my horrible life story.

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**So, what did you think? Be honest!! Ruin's story is coming in the next chapter so if you wanna know what REALLY happened to her as a child, read the next chapter plz!! anyone who comments get a cyber cookie . yayz for everyone who comments/commented!!**


	9. Chapter 9

Ruin

The cave was more or less a small overhanging of rocks. I pushed myself into the corner but Naruto sat next to me in the corner. I was thankful that the rocks were high enough so we could sit up without having to scrunch down. His knee bumped into mine as he got comfortable for story time.

I took a deep breath and took out my kunai, resting it in front of us. I could feel his eyes on me but I wouldn't look away from that sweet promise of the metal. I took another breath, then plunged.

"I was born to a family that didn't want me. I've been told that my entire life. I was in an orphanage when I was adopted by my village Elders. No family wanted me, all the other children had visitors and smiling faces. Then, one day, Jennto came and took me away. I was dropped off in my new room the exact same day. Later that night," I took a shaky breath, "th-they p-performed the jutsu on me. They made me different. From then on I was seen as even less than before. I had become pointless. I knew deep inside my aching body, that if they killed me they would have someone to replace me within seconds. I was that unimportant."

I was shaking so hard. I just wanted to reach out and take the blade and stop the shaking. But I knew I couldn't. I saw Naruto begin to reach his hand towards me but stopped halfway, dropping his hand in the space between us.

"The pain of every vision is excruciating. There is no way to fully explain it. That's why I reduced myself to this, this horrible self-mutilation. I had to do something to distract myself from the pain.

"Every day of my life, I was given death threats. I was not allowed to leave my chambers unless I was called upon by the Elders. I was alone except for one or two guards. They all hated me. I-I still can't understand why they could hate someone who helped them become so prosperous. What had I ever done to deserve such exile, such hatred? I had been an innocent child who wanted a home and they took me to live in a dark, moist hole where there was nothing but emptiness. I was nothing. I still am." I let the tears fall freely. I was ashamed to show him this weakness but I knew the tears could not be held back. I just wanted to crumple to the floor and cut myself so deeply I would bleed to death. I wanted my pain to be over.

I couldn't look at Naruto. I went to crawl away, to just be away from all of this. It was pointless to believe there was anything for him to care about in my empty shell of existence. I just wanted to be gone.

He grabbed my arm. "Don't leave, not again," he whispered. He tugged my arm gently and I relinquished myself to him, letting myself be pulled back. Then he lifted my chin with his finger. He stared into my eyes, piercing me with unwanted emotions.

_Let me go, Naruto. You'd be better off if you did._

_**You're right, Ruin. He would be better off. Just leave him to suffer, Ruin. You could be free of this pain. Just take the kunai and finish the job. **_

That voice was so persuasive. Naruto still clutched my left arm, but with my right hand I reached out for the kunai. My gaze was fixed on its sharp edge as it neared my wrist.

"STOP! PLEASE, RUIN! STOP! Please," Naruto begged. He clapped his other hand down on my right arm and stared at me. "Please, Ruin. Don't do that anymore."

"Why? Why should it matter to you? I'm nothing and you deserve more than nothing. You deserve…" I cut myself off. I wanted to say, _everything_. He did deserve everything. He deserved the world. That was something I could not give him.

"Ruin, do you have any memories of you family?" Naruto asked suddenly.

I stiffened. No, I did not have any memories yet that one vision of the happy family popped into my head. That woman, she seemed so familiar. As did the man. I let the vision flow through my mind and I looked for some sort of similarities. Then I saw it, the eyes. _My _eyes. The mother had the same eyes as I did. The man had my high cheekbones. They…they were my parents?

I went all out now, sobbing uncontrollably. Naruto still held fast to my wrists. I did have memories of my family. They had loved me! They had loved me so much!

"I didn't realize…"I whispered.

"What, Ruin? What is it?"

"My family loved me. I can see them so clearly in my mind. They had loved me so much. Then why did they get rid of me? If they had cared so deeply for me, then why did they toss me aside?"

Naruto said nothing.

"I was right all along. When I had gotten older, my parents saw what a horrible thing of a child I was. They didn't want me anymore and then they ran away from me. I am nothing. I don't mean anything to anyone."

Naruto sighed. "Ruin, you have no idea what you're talking about."

I looked up at him to see if he was joking and at that moment his face was so close to mine. I could feel his hot breath on my lips.

"Ruin?" he whispered.

"Ye-yesss-yes?"

"Can I kiss you, Ruina?"

I gulped down the lemon that had formed in my throat. My pulse was growing more and more rapid as the time progressed. He just sat there, lips only a mere fourth of an inch away. I wanted so badly to kiss him, I just wanted to let go, to pour my sadness in to him.

I began to shake my head but his hands flew from my wrists to my face. He held my face in his hands and I still tried to shake my head but it did not work.

I began to say no but he just said, "Too bad," and his lips met mine.

I was suddenly filled with such fire I could rival the sun. His mouth moved against mine and my mouth moved against his. He pressed me down beneath him and I let him. He pulled back away from me only to kiss my collar bone then his mouth was back to mine. He let out a small animalistic moan. He kissed all over my face as I tried to regain my composure, or a semblance of. But soon he was back on my mouth. I rolled him over and kissed his slightly exposed chest. I nipped at his neck and he moaned again. Then he slammed me on the ground and began to kiss me all over again. I wanted this moment to last forever.

Then he finally pulled away and did not kiss me anywhere else. He supported himself with his arms on either side of my shoulders, palms pressed firmly to the ground. My chest heaved with my need to refill my lungs with oxygen. Naruto stared at me, really looked at me and I saw his face soften. His eyes became filled with an all knowing sadness. The necklace he wore dangled over my face, glinting in the moonlight.

"Ruina," he grumbled.

"Ruin," I corrected.

A sad smile flitted across his face, but it was soon replaced with a seriousness that I was not familiar with, or at least, not such seriousness on his kind face.

"Don't ever leave me like that again, Ruin. Promise me."

I searched through my mind for the definition of 'promise.' It was the concept of swearing to do something and never breaking that swear. It was always frowned upon if you broke a promise.

I nodded slowly, my hair rubbing into the dirt floor beneath me. He sighed with a tired smile and rolled onto his back away from me. I felt my heart go cold.

"Now what?" I asked.

Naruto stared up at the ceiling. I wanted to pull myself over and rest my head on his chest. I wanted to do more than that, but of course the _thing_ I was thinking about would not be very acceptable.

"You need to go back to your village, Ruin. We need to go tonight."

_WE?! _That got my pulse to pick up speed all over again.

I nodded and knew he was right. We both stood and brushed ourselves off. Just as we were about to leave, I turned to Naruto. "Thank you," I whispered.

He reached out and gave my hand a squeeze, "No problem."

And we were off. Why? I wasn't sure.


	10. Chapter 10

**oh my goodie-goshness!! this story is getting a lot of responses in the way of alerts and favoriting!! im so glad so many people like it!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D here is the next chapter! everything is starting to fall into place**

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Naruto began to try and take the lead, but I cut him off.

"You'll get us lost. I know which way to go," I told him with a light laugh. He ginned at me and we sprinted on.

We were met with small hills as we went. I knew that our journey was going to be two days at best. As soon as the sun peeked at us from behind the hills, I knew we had to stop. I found us a small outcropping of boulders that seemed to be ruins of a once great chapel. This was a sign that we were close.

The entrance to the chapel seemed to once have columns, but these columns had collapsed on each other only leaving a small hole to crawl through. Naruto, being more adventurous than I, squirmed through the hole into the chapel.

Then he screamed.

I immediately scrambled through the hole and yelled, "Naruto! What's wrong?!"

I looked over to see him with his jacket unzipped slightly revealing a white tank top and he grinned wickedly at me. "Gotcha!" he yelled just as he tackled me to the ground.

I started laughing so hard. This guy was a serious knuckle head. I pushed him off of me in a playful manner, about to pounce him myself when I saw what was surrounding us.

"Oh crap," I whispered.

Surrounding us was not a ruin of a chapel, but one that had been abandoned. The entire nave of the chapel was fully constructed and supported. Only the narthex had collapsed. The ceiling was painted with the images of children. Each child had their backs to us and looked over their shoulders. On each shoulder blade of each child sat a tattoo of an eye. I took an involuntary step back.

"N-Naruto, I need you to do something for me."

"Huh?" he responded, his easy grin leaving his face.

"Give me your shirt please, I need it for a second."

"Um, okay," he said. He tugged off his jacket which fell to the floor with a soft thud and then took off his tank top, revealing an extremely toned chest and abs. I turned away with a blush forming on my cheeks.

I reached around with my right arm and motioned for me to give me the shirt. I felt the fabric brush against my fingers and I took it from his grasp. "Now, p-please t-tu-turn around. N-no lo-looking," I ordered. I heard his feet shuffle as he turned.

I took off my tunic and dropped my belt to the ground along side it. I tugged the tank-top over my head and almost laughed at how large it was on me. I pulled it forward with my hands, letting my wrists rest on my hips. I then remembered my scars that scoured my body. Naruto would be able to see them. I shook my head. No, this was more important than him seeing my horrible habit at work. Just tell him to turn around.

"Naruto, turn around." And I heard the dirt underneath him crunch once more as he turned.

I heard a sharp intake of breath when he saw my exposed skin. I ignored the hurt that it caused my heart.

"Are--are there tattoos on my shoulder blades?" I asked as I looked over my shoulder.

Naruto nodded stiffly. Then he glanced up at the children painted around us. "Were they like you?"

I nodded slowly. "They were Messengers before me."

I watched Naruto stare in awe at the faces of so many children who had been sentenced to such a tortured existence. Just like me.

Then he turned back to me and he couldn't stop staring. My scars were all he could see and I knew it. _Just leave it be, Ruin. He knows that you had a bad habit, and that you still do. Just let it go._

I couldn't.

I turned all the way around, letting my arms hang limp at my sides. Naruto's shirt hung like a bag on my body, partially exposing my undershirt. I stared at him with dead eyes. He took a few careful steps forward, and when he was close enough, he reached out to stroke my arm. I flinched.

His eyes flicked up to me before moving back down to my arms. He touching some of the cuts that were scabs. They flaked underneath his touch.

"How could something so ugly be so good for you? I don't understand."

I watched his face as in scrunched up with confusion. "I hope you never have to understand."

He shook his head. "But, I do understand your pain. I was alone too, once. I never truly knew why everyone in my village shunned me. I would act out for attention or on some days I would just hate everyone for their hate for me. Then I found people who really looked at me for who I was and not the demon inside. I only found out about being a jinchuiki a few years ago and it changed a bit of my view on people. But still, I couldn't understand how people could just look at me and see a demon when I was nothing more than a person with a forced burden." Naruto kept his eyes to the ground, avoiding my gaze. He had been given the chance to have a life unlike the hundreds of children painted around us, me included. I didn't know what to do or how to respond, so just let the information he revealed to me settle. I took a few steps forward as I glanced around me at the ceiling. I had to be there somewhere.

I turned my head and saw myself painted up on the ceiling as a child. I did not recall this ever posing or anything for such a painting of myself. I stood like the rest of the children, my bare upper back to the world and looking over one shoulder. My eyes were bright green, so green it hurt to look at them. My hair was white and cut short, to my ears. This had to have been done before I ever became a Messenger. When I was 9, I had been that age when I had been taken from the orphanage, my hair was at least to my chin and I had cut it the same length ever since.

I was beginning to get slightly confused. How had this all happened? How had my painting ended up in what appeared to be the ruin of an old chapel?

_Unless…well, unless what? Could this be some sort of secret society out to get you? Huh, Ruin? Come on, there is no way that this could mean anything other than the Elders are more creepy than you first thought._

I turned to see Naruto looking up at the painting of me. "You looked cute as a kid," he stated then moved his eyes down to the present-day me. His eyebrows scrunched together. "What happened?"

I glared at him but couldn't help the small giggles that escaped my grinning mouth. He put his hands behind his head and laughed softly at me. I ran up to him and pushed him off balance. Of course, him being off balance was the equivalent of a normal person walking in a straight line. He playfully pushed me and I laughed. It was so easy to be around him.

I felt a pang in my heart when I thought about what would happen after we returned to my village. Would he leave me? Of course, he would. He has no need to be tied to me.

I felt a frown press on my face as my thoughts turned bleak. I turned away from Naruto as I felt my body begin to shake with frustration. I wanted so much but could have so little. Naruto will have to leave me after he drops me off at my village. He has more important things than me. He has a real life with friends. He wouldn't ever need me nor want me.

I took a few steps away from me and I saw a shift in his eyes. Was that hurt I saw in his eyes? I sifted through some images from visions in my head and found it several times, that look in his eyes. Indeed, it was hurt.

"What did I do, Ruin?"

_It's not what you did, it's who I am, _I wanted to say but knew I couldn't. I just remained silent.

Naruto watched me for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't know what to do with you, Ruin. One moment you're happy and laughing with me, the next you look like you might hurl on my feet."

"I am not going to hurl on your feet, whatever that means," I muttered to him as I began to look around letting my sadness get comfortable. The shaking gradually became less apparent, but it was still there.

I found a small boulder rolled up against a nearby wall. As I walked over to it, I took a better look at my surroundings. The chapel was simple, about the size of a small building made entirely of stone. Cracks in the ceiling let light in which helped with being able to see since Naruto and I had not thought of bringing any sort of light. The ceiling was domed towards the middle, and every single inch of the dome and part of the walls were covered in the paintings of past Messengers. I shivered and turned my attention back to the boulder.

I tried to pull it, but of course, being the weakest person _ever_, could not. "Naruto!" I called over my shoulder. Immediately, Naruto had his arms over my shoulders and pulled on the boulder. We rolled it off to reveal a small opening just large enough for an average size person.

"Do you think we shou--" I began but Naruto was already crawling through.

"You coming?" he asked, his voice the only thing telling me that he was still in there.

I nodded in response, then realized he couldn't hear a nod, and said, "Ye-yes," in my stupid stutter and followed.

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**a bit of a cliffhanger, right? well, sorta not but whatever . arent you the least bit curious as to what is on the other side of that dark, scary hole in the wall? i know i am!! next chapter will be up ASAP and for all those who review:virtual cookies!!!**


	11. Chapter 11

The hole Naruto and I were crawling through was tiny and damp and _extremely _dark. I was worried I might bump into Naruto but I figured that wouldn't happen. Still, I worried, like I did most of the time. I was anxious. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face and I could barely move anywhere but forward. I was beginning to feel claustrophobic. Just as I was about to totally start freaking out, I popped out on the other side to find Naruto crouched to the left of the hole.

I crouched beside him, blocking the hole, and watched his expression. He looked so desperately sad. Why? Why was this boy so sad? I glanced around and saw why.

Coffins, hundreds of coffins, stacked one on top of the other as high as the ceiling, and the ceiling was pretty damn high. It was even higher than the domed room of the chapel where we had just been. So many coffins, so many lives gone.

"Wh-what is this?" I demanded in a shaky voice.

"This is a tomb," Naruto stated flatly, eyes devoid of anything.

"A t-tomb? F-f-for wh-what?"

Naruto nodded at an inscription painted directly across from us on the wall in between a stack of coffins. I read it once, then again and again, trying so hard not to let the meaning of these words affect me.

_All those who lie here_

_Died in their 16__th__ year_

_The strength of their power so great_

_They were forced to share the same fate._

_Here lie the Messengers_

_Those who had no one else. _

_Here lie the forgotten_

_Those covered in welts._

_If you are reading this_

_Then you are burying another_

_One who was forced into this_

_One without a mother._

_Take heed of my warning_

_All who come here_

_That if you know a Messenger_

_Their end is near._

I was 16. I knew that because every time my birthday came around I would receive three visions in a row. One from the past, one from the present, and one from the future.

"Naruto," I whispered as I felt the sting of tears.

He didn't move.

"Naruto," I whimpered, a tear slipping down my cheek.

I saw his eye twitch my way.

"Naruto," I tried to say again, but came out only as air, my lips barely forming his name.

He stayed still once more.

"Please, Naruto. I'm so scared," I whispered as the tears sprang from their ducts and down my pale face.

When he turned to look at me, he looked angry. "This is so wrong, Ruin."

Me? Me crying was wrong? I quickly wiped away the tears and stopped the shaking that had started up once more. I stood up straight and put on a mask of nothingness.

"I'm sorry," my voice wavered. "I d-didn't mean t-to m-make y-you un-uncom-uncomfortable."

Naruto stood up next to my stiff form. I turned away from him and decided it would be best if I got out of there right then. I began to crawl into the hole just as he caught my leg. Just like last night.

"Ruin, wait. What are you talking about?" Naruto called, his voice echoing in the small space around me. I went into reverse and slumped against the wall.

"This is wrong, me seeking comfort from you. I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable and put you in a situation you wish you weren't in," I explained in a cool voice.

Naruto blinked at me. He crawled over and sat down in front of me. I couldn't look at him.

_**See, you were right all along. He never wanted you!**_ That evil voice hissed in my ear.

"You're right," I mumbled to it. The voice then laughed at my pain.

"Ruin, look at me," Naruto ordered. I kept my head turned away. "Ruina," he was now using my real name, "look at me, please."

When I didn't, he grabbed my chin with his fingers and tweaked my head around to look in his eyes.

"You can always come to me for comfort, Ruina. Never forget that. I'm here for you, even when you aren't even there for yourself. I'll be there for you. I swear." And I almost believe him.

But almost wasn't enough.

"Then why did you say this was wrong?!" I snapped at him, pulling away my chin. "I understand how little I am to everyone and I understand how my feelings for you are wrong. I understand it all."

I watched him as he just shook his head at me, mouth hanging open slightly in shock. "Ruina! You don't understand this! Why are you always so willing to blame yourself, always jumping to the conclusion that you are nothing?! Ruina, why do you do this to yourself?"

There it was, that question that had been said several times before, only masking itself slightly each time to hide its true meaning.

"I already told you. I. Am. _Nothing." _I hissed, enunciating each word as its own sentence.

Naruto kept shaking his head at me. "No, Ruin. You are something. You are important." He paused for a moment then smiled slightly. "I just have to prove it to you."

It was my turn to shake my head. What a ludicrous idea! How could he achieve the impossible.

"Naruto," I whispered, suddenly remembering where we were.

"Huh?"

I stared past him at the stacks upon stacks of coffins. "I'm going to die soon, aren't I?"

I saw Naruto shake his head in my peripheral vision. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

I took a chance then. I moved forward slightly and dragged myself into Naruto's lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and began to cry softly. I knew he would try to save me. I also knew that he would not succeed, not as long as I continued to be the Messenger.

Deep in my heart, though, I hoped. I hoped Naruto would save me from this fate. I needed this. I needed this chance to live a life that I wanted, a life with meaning besides being the tool of the Elders. I wanted to be with Naruto, more than anything I wanted to be with Naruto. I wanted it so badly it hurt me.

I wanted him to feel the same way. I tried to think clearly as I cried, but it was hard. I could feel Naruto running one hand through my hair soothingly while another hand was wrapped around my waist.

"Naruto, do you care about me?" I whispered, taking an even bigger chance with my heart.

He kissed the top of my head. I waited for his answer, the one I knew was coming. He would push me away and say, 'Of course not! Why would I care for you, Ruin? What could you possibly give me?!'

But instead, Naruto said, "More than you can possibly understand."

My heart fluttered. I nuzzled my head into his chest and let my tears fall.

"Why?" I asked.

I felt Naruto's chest rise and fall as he sighed. "The way you still keep going even though you have been told your entire life that you are nothing, the way you still fight even though you believe that you are nothing, the way your green eyes light up when you laugh, the way you only smile when it is the best of times showing that it is the most precious thing, the way you are, Ruin, that is why I care for you."

The tears stopped and I pulled back from his chest so I was level with his eyes. "You're so naïve, Naruto," I laughed.

He grinned at me. "Whoever said that was a bad thing?"

We stood and dusted ourselves off. Naruto climbed through the hole ahead of me. I took one last look at the tomb of all the Messengers who had come before me. I wanted to be the one who broke the trend of dying so young, of never having a real life.

When I popped out on the other side, Naruto was lying on the ground and motioned for me to lie down beside him. I did, at first careful of how I moved closer to him and then not caring as I snuggled into the crook of him neck.

Just as I was floating off to sleep, I heard Naruto whisper something in my ear.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to show you how important you really are."

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**well wasn't that just adorable or what?! i thought it was pretty damn cute! i love how this shows how truly protective and truthful Naruto is, which are two of his most endearing qualities! next chapter i'm gonna try and make it a bit less sad, maybe incorporate a bit of humor. plz REVIEW!!!!! love to hear what you think of this chapter!!!! next chapter will be up asap**


	12. Chapter 12

"Okay, Ruin. Don't fall off. You need to keep your balance. Be careful! That's a sensitive space down there! Now, gently, gently. Yes! Perfect!"

Naruto was really getting into this. He had woken me up early and everything, he was so excited.

He was teaching me to walk on water. I was still trying to figure out how this connected to me not being worthless, because I was totally screwing up this exercise. I kept on falling in the water and soaking completely through my tunic and leggings. I don't really think Naruto minded that much.

Why he was saying I was doing it perfectly, I have no idea. I mean, my feet were in the water to the beginning of my ankles, but I wasn't touching the bottom. I had to admit, it was pretty damn cool.

The stream was only a mile away from the chapel/tomb. We had traveled in silence, just like we usually did.

"I still don't see the meaning of this!" I yelled to him. I hadn't actually needed to yell, I was just getting frustrated. This was no fun at all.

Naruto

Naruto couldn't believe how well Ruin was doing her first time on water. It kept a smile on his face the entire time. The way Ruin bit her lip as she tried to keep her balance was endearing to him. Whenever she would fall in the water, he couldn't help but laugh at her. It was just too funny.

There was another reason for them being there. Naruto had a plan and though he knew his plans weren't always the best, he felt sure of this one. Or at least, he hoped it would work well enough.

Ruin

It took me several hours to finally succeed at keeping my feet firmly in place on the water and I could walk a little bit too if I focused hard enough. I felt really tired yet extremely happy after succeeding such a difficult feat for someone as untrained as I.

I walked carefully over to the bank where Naruto had kicked back quite some time ago. His jacket was unzipped and his feet splayed out in front of him. His face soaked in the sun.

"So," I breathed, "tell me how this is important to building myself?"

He glanced over at me for a moment before standing. "Okay, get back on the water. The real fun starts now."

I did as he said. I was shocked to find that the first time I tried to walk on the water I succeeded. My face could barely contain the smile that broke across it.

I stood facing Naruto. He put both hands on my shoulders. "Ruin, I need you to find a vision in your head somewhere. This vision needs to be of a skilled ninja fighting someone, anyone, it doesn't matter, you just need to find an extremely skilled ninja fighting."

I nodded and flipped through my mental files. I found one. The man was simple, of a village that I had never heard of, but very powerful. I could feel it as I watched from inside.

"Okay, now what?"

"I need you to try and put yourself in that ninja's place. You need to let the vision take control of you. I want you to try and fight like this ninja."

It took me a few minutes before I could feel a slight tingling in my limbs as I let the movements of this ninja set into my mind. I moved back into a fighting stance like this ninja, my eyes only slightly open so I could focus on both Naruto and the image of the man.

"Now, defend yourself!" Naruto yelled as he tried to strike me with a kunai.

I easily dodged it and took the kunai from him. I paused for a moment in complete shock. Naruto stared at me with a mirrored expression of my own.

"Whoa," I breathed.

"Whoa is right," Naruto agreed before lunging at me again with a new kunai to replace his old one.

I blocked his kunai with my own, spinning around on the balls of my feet. I tried to hook my arm around his neck but he dodged easily. My movements were no longer my own. The ninja in my head, the remembered jutsus and hours of practiced technique were now a part of my mind, a part of my body. I focused harder, my eyes opening all the way and I could feel the ninja's strength, his power. I had all that power.

I felt my hands move in unknown hand signs and then it clicked in my head just before I said it. "Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!" Water shot up from the water and hailed down on Naruto. He was hit several times by a few water bullets, but nothing bad.

While he was distracted, my body did the work for me. I lunged forward and flipped over Naruto as water continued to rain down on only him. I landed behind him, locked my legs around his waist, and pressed the blade of the kunai to his throat will my arm hooked underneath his chin. The water stopped and we stayed like that for a moment. Then Naruto let his feet slip into the water until it touched his knees.

"So…" he said as I stayed put on his back, my kunai still on his throat. It came out more as 'tho' because my arm was still hooked underneath his chin.

My breath came out in gasps as I tried to regain my composure. "I had no idea I could do that."

He snorted a laugh and I think he said, "You and me both."

I unhooked my elbow from his chin and pulled back the kunai and putting it in his kunai pack. I still hung on his back, my arms going lazily over his shoulder.

"That was incredible, Ruin."

I sighed in agreement. I was really capable of being something besides a tool. I could fight back if I wanted. I could have power. I couldn't wipe the silly grin from my face as he walked me back to shore. He kneeled and let me dismount. My knees began to quake and then they collapsed from beneath me. I relaxed on the cool grass, watching the clouds move idly across the sky. I hadn't noticed before then, but I was totally exhausted.

Naruto kneeled beside me, a concerned look creasing his usual serene face. I was still grinning like an idiot as I rolled my head to look at him straight on. "That was amazing, Naruto! Now I can defend myself with using my curse to my advantage! This is just…amazing," I trilled.

Naruto lied down beside me and I watched him watch the sky. Suddenly, Naruto poofed into a white puff of air and was replaced my another Naruto who dumped a bucket load of water on me.

"Naruto!" I screeched with a smile plastered to my face. I stood and chased after him as he tried to get away, but he was teasing me more than that. He ran out onto the water and I followed him with ease. We stayed near the shore where the water was shallowest. He hopped in front of me like a…what was it called? An animal that wagged its tail when happy and liked to play with a ball? That is a…dog! He hopped from side to side like a dog, taunting me with a huge grin on his face.

I raced forward, feinted to the side like I was going to grab him from behind like before, but knocked him over instead. Water splashed as he fell back. I had my hands firmly planted above Naruto's shoulders, my hands pressed into the soft mud. My feet had fallen through and now I straddled him slightly. A single drop of water fell from my bangs to hit him square in between the eyes. My hair hung forward like a veil, blocking out the world completely. We both breathed heavily as water continued to drip from my hair. Naruto was coated in a shiny sheen of moisture, a mixture of water and perspiration. I was finding it extremely sexy at the moment.

I searched his eyes for any hint that he was feeling what I was feeling at that moment, any glimmer at all. I felt like doing nothing more than kissing him, letting him hold me. That was what I wanted. Did he? Did Naruto want me in that way?

I bent my elbows slightly, so my hot breath would brush his lips as I spoke. "Naruto."

He stared at me in a dream state. "Yeah," he said with a sloppy grin on his face.

"Do you lo-" I began, but cut myself off. I couldn't do that. We had known each other for only a few days, really known each other. There could be no possibility of this. But I loved the way he looked at me, the way he made me feel stronger, the way his eyes lit up when he smiled, his childish personality. He was just so…what word would describe him? He was just so, Naruto. I guess there was no other way to describe him.

"Do I what?" Naruto asked, pushing up on his elbows slightly so we were that much closer.

"Nothing, never mind."

I began to back off. I knew that I should wait until his response was what I wanted to hear. He grabbed my arm.

"Ruina," he growled.

I glanced over my shoulder at Naruto and saw something there.

"Do you love me?" I could barely whisper.

Naruto looked at me in shock for a moment, and then his whole face softened. "Ruina, I-"

"You know what? Just forget about it. It's nothing, don't worry about it." I tried again to get away but he held fast to my arm.

"Let me finish. Ruina, I love the way you are, I told you everything last night. That was the truth. But I left out a little fact, one of the most important. I love you, Ruina. It doesn't matter that we just met, I can feel it deep inside me and it hurts. I need you , Ruin."

I gasped. This was absolutely incredible. "I love you, Naruto."

Naruto's face lit up in a way I'd never seen. It was the most amazing feeling that spread through my chest. I had never known such a feeling before, never. I had seen it on the face of my parents and only that once. And though I barely understood what was going on, I knew what I was feeling, I knew that this was what I wanted. I wanted this. I wanted it all.

"Make love to me," I whispered.

It was his turn to stutter. "Wh-wh-what?"

I kissed him as my answer and his body immediately responded. I wanted all of Naruto. I was ready for that.

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**_BEGIN SEXUAL CONTENT_**

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He nipped at my neck as I pulled in ragged breaths. He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his torso as I continued to kiss him. He dropped me on the grassy shore and took off his jacket and shirt. He looked at me with a question in my eyes, to see if I was really sure. I answered him by undoing my belt little by little. That was all he needed to begin showering me with kisses. He slipped off my tunic and my leggings, revealing my pathetic excuses for undergarments. I rolled over on top of him and tugged a bit on his pants. He let a small moan slip from his lips and I responded by kissing his chest and finally returning my kisses to his mouth. My body shivered. It was really going to happen.

He moved his mouth down my body and kissed my breasts with such tenderness a moan of sweet pleasure escaped me. Then he nipped at the sensitive region of my skin, right above the edge of my panties. I used my widespread legs to push at his pants. Lower and lower they went, but he couldn't wait for me trying to take them off. He tugged them off himself, as well as his boxers. I felt my face heat with embarrassment but was so distracted by what his hands were doing to my breasts that I didn't really care. Then he began to press himself more firmly against me. I nipped at his neck and moved my hands curiously along his smooth torso. Then he was in me. A sweet sense of both pain and enjoyment shot through me and I gasped. He pushed, more and more. Our breathing and moaning were a chorus of the pleasure we shared. When it was all over, he fell next to me and I rolled on top of him, enjoying the way my bare skin felt against his.

* * *

_**END SEXUAL CONTENT**_

_**

* * *

**_

It seems that love is built into us, we were made to know love but to never comprehend it, just to know it when we felt it. I felt blessed to find that in Naruto, to find the tiniest glimmer of understanding of what love is. I knew I loved him, and from the way he held me to his chest after all was said and done, the way the fire of that moment was still boiling in my veins, I knew he loved me too.

I knew what I needed to do to set my life right, to give myself all the life that I should have been given. I would die soon if I didn't try something.

"Naruto," I whispered as I was beginning to doze.

"Hm?"

"I know what we need to do tomorrow."


	13. Chapter 13

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Okay, so as I'm writing this I'm still figuring out a few important things. One: is the deep sinister voice that still talks to Ruin. Two: what the hell is gonna happen after everything that happened last night?!?!?! Three: actually trying to propel the plot a bit further. I'm still trying to work out exactly what is going to happen for the rest of the story, but at the moment I have a pretty good idea.

Anyways, so thanks to everyone for the reviews!!! If anyone was wondering *cough* Priestess-of-Jashin *cough* I don't really think the Naruto world has condoms /// And for others who are wondering about Kakashi or Sakura, I'm not sure when they're going to pop into the story again, there is a ginormous maybe hanging over that right now so we'll see what happens.

HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!! (finally!)

* * *

I woke up to the soft sound of a bird chirping overhead. My back was moist from the grass beneath me. I pushed myself up on my elbows, glancing around to see no one around. I pulled on my clothing and walked over to the stream, trying to smooth out my crazy mess of hair. Normally, I wouldn't really care about it, but when I saw Naruto coming over, I patted furiously at my stubborn hair.

I turned to face him then winced at the soreness of my limbs. I knew it wasn't from…well, what happened last night, but the training before. My body wasn't used to that sort of workout, and I mean the training. Keep your mind focused here.

Naruto wore his usual grin and his jacket was unzipped revealing his grass stained tank top and he wore his pants, of course.

"Ruin, what are we going to do today?" Naruto asked me as I sat down on the bank of the river.

"It's about time we head back to my village, for real this time. I don't have much time left and--"

I was stopped cold by Naruto's glare. For someone so jovial, he really knew how to glare in an evil fashion. I knew he was going to say something along the lines of 'don't talk like that' but I just kept going as I tried to ignore the glare.

"I need to find out what happened to my parents and I need to figure out a way to get rid of my visions or at least make sure they don't kill me."

Naruto grunted, the universal sign that a guy used to convey either agreement or distaste. I was going to go with the former.

We stood, grabbed our backpacks, and headed off in the direction of the Village Hidden in the Ruins.

_Earlier That Day_

Naruto

When Naruto woke up in the morning, Ruin had her head resting on his chest like a pillow. She looked so peaceful and alive.

He eased himself out from under her, careful not to wake her. As soon as he was up, Naruto dressed and began running. He was headed back to the chapel.

When Naruto reached the supposed 'ruins' he crawled through the main entrance and then into the tomb. In his hand, he held a small daisy. He set it before the inscription between two towering stacks of coffins. He kneeled before the inscription and looked all around him. How could a village sacrifice so many for their own selfish wants?

Naruto didn't know to whom he was speaking to, but suddenly he began to beg, "Please please please. Please please please. Don't let her die, please. Please please please."

This boy, with a heart of gold and a soul to match, wanted nothing more than to give Ruin the life she deserved, the life she wanted. Though Naruto was one of those rare people who thought with his heart more than his brain, he knew enough common sense to see that begging in a tomb would not produce any results. He had to do something for Ruin, anything. He needed her to live.

Yet still, he begged a bit longer until he heard a voice whisper in his ear, "Who is he?"

"Another one of them come to mock us, no doubt," whispered another voice.

"He has not brought anything but a flower, leave the poor boy alone," instructed a deeper voice. When Naruto opened his eyes, he saw that he was surrounded by white wispy shapes of people.

Ghosts.

"Hey there, cutie," whispered one girl ghost.

"Back off, Natalia! Can't you see that he is not one of us? That he actually has a beating heart?" whispered the first voice. Naruto turned his head to see a girl quite unlike the rest. She looked so familiar to him, like somehow he had seen her before.

"I'm Luxe, if you were wondering. What are you gawking at?" she demanded and swooped forward at him.

"Nothing, you just look so familiar." He looked over her appearance and could tell that she was obviously older than the rest when she died. "You weren't sixteen when you died, were you?"

Naruto heard a few snickers around him and a high trilling laugh as another girl ghost floated down next to Luxe as she backed away from Naruto. It was Natalia who was giggling so fiercely.

"We call her Granny Luxe because she died when she was twenty-three. She's the only one," Natalia explained as she spun around in the air.

"Natalia," Luxe hissed.

"Oh come on, Luxe. It's not like the boy actually knows what we are," said the deep male voice. The owner of the voice floated down to Luxe, shoving Natalia aside. "I'm Senoo."

Naruto said in response, "I can read, you know. The inscription says you guys are Messengers, all of you. I know the present-day Messenger."

That caused all the ghosts to stop their fun and stare at him. Every single ghostly eye was on him making Naruto realize that maybe that announcement had been a bad idea. Still, their reaction was interesting to say the least.

"What?" Naruto asked. He stood and took in how many ghosts were swirling around him. They sat on top of the stacks of coffins, some just floating in mid air, others having hushed conversations. But everyone stopped what they were doing as he watched.

"Who is it, boy?" Senoo asked, breaking the silence.

"Seriously? 'Boy?' I'm the same age as you when you died. I'm no boy."

Senoo shrugged at Naruto's commented and motioned a hand in a way to show Naruto that now was the time answer the question.

"You wouldn't know her," Naruto growled.

Whispered conversations hissed around him.

"Another girl?"

"Messengers are the best when they're girls."

"The last Messenger must have had a daughter. I swear, we need to have a few boys in the bloodline."

Naruto spun around to pinpoint who had said that. It was Natalia.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

Natalia sighed. "You have to be related to a Messenger to have the necessary gene to be a Messenger."

Naruto was silent, obviously waiting for a simpler explanation.

"Let me, Natalia." Luxe scooted into his view.

"Natalia is my cousin. Her father was a Messenger. My mother, her father's sister, was a Messenger as well. That made us both capable to be the Messenger. When Natalia died--"

"Which was totally not my fault! They killed me earlier than necessary! If you can't tell, I'm only fourteen."

"But I thought--" Naruto began.

"That inscription is the usual. If you aren't killed early, like Natalia, who was killed by an assassin in our village, then you normally lived until you were sixteen. I was lucky, though. Natalia had been my only cousin, and so that meant after she died I was the only one left to be picked. My mother had died the moment after she had given birth to me, since she had been sixteen at the time. Natalia's father had died when he was sixteen as well. They're in another tomb somewhere, but that's not the point. The point is, because there was no one else to pick from because everyone else was dead, they gave me extra time. I got to live longer than any other.

"When I had my child, they let me live for a bit longer. I still don't know why. Maybe it was because a child needs their parent for a little while before they get comfortable with other people, I'm not sure. Then they came in the middle of the night and killed my husband and me.

"For quite awhile after I died, I had been kept in a storage facility right beneath my home. My husband had been killed so they could have our child. They sent to her an orphanage and forgot about us for awhile. There was no one alive who carried the necessary gene to be a Messenger after I was killed, so they were forced to take my child and wait until she reached the right age. Then they performed that hideous jutsu, and we lost our baby girl. After that, they came, buried me here. My husband, Renu, was buried a few miles away from here in the middle of the plains."

"Hey Luxe, isn't your daughter's sixteenth birthday this year?" called out a voice from above.

The woman sighed, a sigh weighed heavily with the sorrow of a mother. "Yes, it is."

"Wait a second. Sixteen this year, mother and father killed, and you look so familiar. Oh my god! Ruina, your daughter is Ruina!"

"How could you possibly know that?" Luxe snapped.

"I call her Ruin."

The tomb erupted with cries and howls of anguish. "My daughter? You know my daughter?"

Naruto nodded. If a ghost could cry, then he knew Luxe would be crying right then.

"She looks so much like you, Luxe."

"Did she…did she cut herself?"

"Yes, she did." Naruto knew that being honest would be the best thing to do. "She doesn't anymore though, not since I helped her stop."

"Did they tell her that she had no family? That Renu and I never loved her? That she was worthless?"

"Yes."

"Thank you for your honesty…"

"Naruto," he told her.

"Naruto, you were here yesterday, weren't you?"

"Yes, Ruin was here too."

"It was night then. We can't come out at night," Sentoo explained then immediately went silent.

Luxe studied Naruto's face for a few moments then sighed with a smile hinting on her lips. "You love her."

"Yes."

"Does she love you?"

"Yes."

"Then take care of my daughter, Naruto. Don't let her be forced to share the fate of so many before her. You should go, now."

Naruto nodded, bowed and turned to leave.

"Naruto," he heard Luxe call.

"Tell her I love her, please. Tell her that I'm always with her, no matter what. And," she floated over to him and brushed his arm. Naruto's veins were filled with ice and his head filled with an image of one single stone in the middle of the plains. "Take you there. Please bury my husband properly. Give her father peace."

Naruto nodded and left.

_Back to the Present_

Naruto glanced over at Ruin as they ran to her village.

"Ruin."

"Yes?"

"I know what happened to your parents." And Naruto told her everything that had happened earlier that day and everything that he had been told.

When he done explaining, they ran in silence for a few moments. "Who killed them?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. Your mother kept on saying 'they' and 'them' but never a name."

"I know who they are," Ruin whispered, and they began to run faster and faster.


	14. Chapter 14

Ruin

I got tired quickly and soon Naruto had to carry me. I snuggled into his chest, soothed by the beating of his heart. We were now going through the forest that led to my village. We were nearby the Village Hidden in the Leaves as well.

"Naruto, do you think we should tell Kakashi and Sakura that I'm okay?"

I felt him shrug. He said nothing.

When we made it to my village, the moon was high in the sky. I steered Naruto through the streets, avoiding pieces of rubble here and there.

"So, I'm starting to sense why this place is called the Village Hidden in the Ruins," Naruto stated with a grin in his voice.

The way my village was designed made it look like it was in complete ruins from the outside, but when you entered it, everything was absolutely pristine. That was the draw of the village. It helped teach the lesson that you had to look past the appearances you see at your first glance and see what is really on the inside. I know it sounds clique, but for my village, it's the inside that counts.

We made it to the steps of the village 'palace' or at least, that's what it was called. There, I had my room underground and the Elders lived in one of the highest rooms. Naruto set me down gently. He left his arm around my waist as we looked up at the gigantic building.

"We should wait till morning," I said. He grunted in agreement. He sat on the steps that led up to the main doors and I rested my head in the crook of his neck. I was immediately asleep.

I woke up when I felt Naruto shaking me. "Ruin!" he hissed in my ear.

"Huh?" My eyes were protesting as I tried to open them.

"We need to hide! There are guards coming this way!" Hearing that, I was suddenly alert and we rushed behind a nearby pillar.

The sun was just beginning to peak our from behind the nearby mountains as several guards lined up at the staircase.

"What are they doing?" Naruto asked me.

"Uh, guarding," I said as if it was a total 'duh' answer.

Naruto's cheeks flamed as he hurriedly asked a different question. "I mean, why are they guarding this building?"

"That is where the Elders live and where I lived as well."

He nodded in understanding and turned his attention back to the guards. He was in ninja mode now.

"You ready, Ruin?"

"For what?"

"We're going to take them down," he said to me like it was totally obvious.

"Um," was all I could say.

"Come on! This is your chance to really test yourself." He paused as he watched the guards. "Okay, get ready." So I did.

It was a few moments later when Naruto whispered, "NOW!" when we sprung at the guards.

They responded with swords, but Naruto was already on them. There were seven in total, and Naruto had already knocked out two. I wanted to at least take one out. I took out my cutting kunai and sprung forward, blocking the guard's sword and going in between his legs to come at him from behind. I made some quick hand signs and whispered, "Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu."

A clone of myself appeared in front of me, and now I had a partner to fight with. We took the guard out easily. I high-fived my clone and then it shrunk down into a puddle. Naruto had taken out the other four and we were able to get through.

"Those guards weren't very hard to beat," he pointed out as he sprinted up the steps.

"I never said we were the most elite when it came to skills, we just know how to live in style."

Naruto grinned and pushed open the doors. We were not met by anyone as we ran up the steps to the all too familiar corridor that led to the Elders. I found that odd, disturbingly odd.

_**Stop!**_

I stopped. The deep menacing voice was there again. Why couldn't it leave me alone?

Naruto looked back at me with a confused expression. I started running again and we entered the room of the Elders.

There they sat, Tiyo and Riyo, the Elders.

"What may we help you with, you filthy child?" they asked in unison.

My skin prickled with rage as I thought about all the lies I had been told in my life and it was all because of them. I had to say something.

"You killed my parents!" I screeched.

They laughed. "Those fools, they brought it on themselves. Especially your father. He knew it was risky getting involved with a Messenger, but of course he did not listen to everyone's warning." Then they snapped their greasy fingers, and guards appeared all around us. They caught Naruto and me by surprise, so we were unable to fight back.

"Take them to her room and bolt the door." Right as they started to carry us out. "Knock them out too." And the lights went out.

When I woke up, I was met with the familiar smell of burning wax and old parchment. My room. A new door had been added in front of the beads that used to be my 'door.' Now it was a metal door that glowed with some sort of special seal. Naruto lay next to me. I crawled over a bit and saw that he had several cuts and bruises on his skin. Blood had begun to pool slightly underneath his arm. These wounds were fresh.

_**They will heal soon. Watch.**_ The wounds were instantaneously healed.

"What the--?"

_**I am Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox demon that is sealed away inside Naruto. I've been the one speaking to you.**_

"How?"

_**Because of your powers, I am able to transmit my thoughts as a vision to you, though you only hear my voice. If I wanted, I could show you what I looked like. But that is not important at the moment. **_

"Why did you try and make me kill myself? Why did you say all those horrible things?"

The fox sighed. _**I resent this silly boy for being my prison. I wanted to give him pain, and if it caused you pain, I felt no guilt. I am a demon, that is all. **_

I sighed and glared at nothing in particular.

_**But right now we must work together, for the sake of my own life. While you were unconscious, they performed some sort of jutsu on Naruto, and now I cannot seem to wake him up. If he does not wake up, I will die. **_

"What does that have to do with me?"

_**You love him**_, the demon said in disgust. _**Fine. If you're okay with Naruto dying, so be it.**_

"No! What do I need to do?"

And the fox explained.

A few minutes later, I had an empty ink well, my kunai, and my paint brush.

"You're sure about this?"

_**You don't have to trust me, stupid girl. Worthless as you may be, you have worth for this little moment. Just do as I told you!**_

So I did. I let the kunai bit into my thigh and made the blood drip into the ink well. I mixed it with the small drops of ink that were still in the well. I carefully unzipped Naruto's jacket and pulled his tank top. I dipped my brush into the mixture, and did as the fox had instructed. Directly over the spot where Naruto's heart is, I wrote:

_Heart that beats_

_So slow and still_

_Beat faster_

_Do my will_

Then I painted on his eyelids these words:

_Eyes that see_

_So much and so little_

_See my face_

_Do my will_

Then I whispered a small prayer. I did the hand signs that the fox had told me to do and focused with all my might. I heard a gasp.

Naruto was back.

"Oh thank God!" I flung myself down on him as he gulped in the precious air.

_**Thank you, girl. **_

I sat back on my knees and whispered to the fox. "I did you a favor, and now you have to do me one. Never speak to me again."

_**Gladly, **_it hissed, and then it was gone.

"What happened?" Naruto mumbled as he tried to sit up but fell over. I propped him up on my lap.

"They did some sort of jutsu on you to try and keep you knocked out. I woke up you up," I explained.

He glanced down at his chest. "What does it say?" he slurred.

"Nothing, just part of the whole waking you up thing."

He leaned back his head to look at me. He seemed pretty drunk at the moment. "You," he said, pointing at me, "are a smart girl."

I laughed at this. He was obviously reacting to some sort of side-effect of the jutsu. It was pretty funny.

Naruto tried to stand and kept falling over. On the fifth or so time of trying, and failing, he just remained on the floor. "What are we going to do, white head?"

I tried not to bristle at this. He was obviously going through something. "Just sleep for a bit." And so he did.

When he woke up a few hours later, I could tell that he was all over being drunk and back to his usual silly yet serious self.

I recounted what he had done and told him with a laugh, "You called me white head."

Naruto's cheeks pinked instantly.

I heard a metallic screech and the door swung open. "Up! Get up!"

I stood immediately but Naruto stayed where he was. "Naruto!" I hissed. He just ignored me.

This was not a good time to be so stubborn.

A guard walked over to me and clamped restraints around my wrists, forcing them behind my back. Another guard came up from behind Naruto, who tried to fight back, but was easily beaten. I think this guard was ANBU Black Ops. They were the only real ninjas in our village.

As we exited the holding cell and began down a musty hall, Naruto demanded to know what was going on.

The guard glanced over his shoulder at Naruto and me. He grinned with a scary glint in his eyes. "We're taking you down to be executed."

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**This chapter is kinda all over the place, but that's because it is a transition chapter and some stuff needed to be explained, like the whole 'creeper voice' thing. We are almost at the end, kiddies! Only a few chapters left. **


	15. Chapter 15

**only a few chapters left! maybe two or maybe three more! what will happen?! read to find out! **

**PS-Thanks so much to everyone reviewing/favoriting/story alert-ing! It's really helpful to see so many people wanting to read more!!!**

* * *

The world around us was silent. The wind moved around us as we were taken to the center of town. I could barely remember this place, this outside world, having only ever seen it as a young child. I saw faces all around us, but they never spoke a word. Every person wore white clothing, as I knew was the tradition during special occasions, such as executions.

Naruto walked beside me, his head hung low. Our wrists were held by chakra strings. Naruto had extra binding around his ankles so he would not get away. He could over power any ninja there.

Somehow, I always knew I would end up losing my life is some tragic way. Either early in my life or being killed. It just seemed that either way I could look at it, I was going to die soon anyway. There seemed to be no solution to my problem of dying at 16. At the most, I had a few more months. But then, I was going to be killed today, so it didn't matter. I would never need to know the solution.

"Excuse me, but I'd like to know what you're going to do with my village's only hyperactive-knucklehead."

I looked up to see Kakashi slouching in a nearby tree. His arms were crossed over his chest and he looked slightly bored. From what I had already seen of this Jounin, this was classic Kakashi.

The guards that led us like dogs were silent.

"Do I need to repeat myself? What are you doing with those two kids?"

"They are to be executed," said one of the guards who was leading us.

Kakashi leapt down from the tree and pressed his index finger to the guard's chest, stopping him in his tracks. "On what grounds?" Kakashi asked.

"For breaking into the Chamber of the Elders. Also, this boy spoke to the Messenger. That is strictly forbidden."

"And the Messenger is to be killed because…?" Kakashi waved his hand in the air in a signal for the guard to answer.

"She did not follow orders."

"Orders?"

"Yes, she did not go to the Village Hidden in the Clouds."

I could tell that Kakashi was about to start yelling at this man. Suddenly, I heard a woman speak. "That is enough." I turned to see a woman in a green robe with a rather busty chest and a blue diamond shape in the middle of her forehead.

"Granny Tsunade!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You have no right to kill one of my ninjas without speaking to me first."

The guard looked at her with a blank expression. "And you are?"

The woman slammed her foot down on the ground, causing a fissure to appear in the rocky earth. "I am the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves! You better damn well remember that!"

"Tsunade, what a surprise." It was the Elders who spoke then.

"Tiyo and Riyo, you're looking as disg--lovely as ever," Tsunade said with a harsh tone.

"You may speak with the blond one, but the Messenger will end today," conceded the Elders.

Naruto looked over at me with wide, alarmed eyes. My heart ached to see him so worried and only for me. I just wanted him to live, what happened to me didn't matter. It never had.

The men severed the chakra strings and led Naruto over to Tsunade who pulled him over into the nearby shade of a tree. Kakashi sauntered over after them.

I felt a tug on the lines and continued my walk.

"Mama, what did she do?" I heard a small child ask.

"Honey, I don't know. The poor girl, she looks like she couldn't hurt a fly even if she tried."

Upon hearing this, I turned to see the woman who had spoken with a toddler glued to her hip.

"You don't know who I am? What I am?" I asked.

"No dear, none of us do."

I looked down the street at all the people of my village who nodded in agreement at the woman's statement. The guard tugged hard on the strings.

"How dare you speak to these people!" he yelled and pulled me down to my knees. I bent over trying to shield my face from the shame of all those eyes watching me with pity. "Get up!"

I shook my head. My head rubbed into the gravel and I could feel small cuts form. I did not want to move. Then I felt it, this hot lash of pain that seared through my body at lightning speed. I bit my tongue to keep my scream from coming out. I tasted iron in my mouth.

"Let this child be an example to you all! Remember your place in this village. You are all worthless compared to our Elders."

I heard someone snort. What was going on? All my life I had believed that I was the only one who had such unfair treatment pressed upon me. But now, listening to this, it seemed as if everyone in my village was told they were worthless. I was no exception. Then I began to think about it, how they had hidden me away from my fellow villagers, how they had not permitted me to know anything of the outside world. It all made sense. I had power unlike that of the Elders and I had the youth that all knew they so desperately craved. Any Messenger could have caused a revolution because of our gift/curse which gave us insight into everything. Even though the Elders believed we were totally cut off from human interaction, I had known certain slightly promiscuous things about my fellow villagers though I had never officially laid eyes on anyone. I had the power to take control. That was the thing that always seemed to define who people are. It was how they dealt with power, whether they took it and did wrong with it or used the power to help others. It all made a difference.

I stood then, locking eyes with the guard in front of me. "Shut up," I spat.

"Ruin, what are you--?" I heard Naruto begin to ask. Obviously his conference with his superiors was over.

I glared at Naruto and he got the message. It was my time.

I took a step towards the guard. He did not move.

"You think that just because you are a pet of the Elders, one of their precious lapdogs, that you above all these people."

The guard lifted his chin in defiance. "I am."

I took another step forward. "Wrong, so damn wrong."

"Back down, Messenger. You are nothing here."

I took another step forward. Now I could see sweat begin to form on his brow. "You see, I can tell just by looking at you that those Leaf ninja over there could kick your ass without even trying. You are one giant bully, just like the Elders. Your other guard buddies are a bunch of bullies too. You're just a bunch of spoiled children."

I could see that I had hit a nerve in this man, but now he was moving his hands in a jutsu. Suddenly, my mind flashed to some sort of distant message or memory. The woman in my vision looked so familiar. My mother. In a flash, my hands were flying just like hers. We spoke in unison when we said, "From the Village Hidden in the Ruins comes one of its strongest techniques! Earth Style: Ruined Pillars Jutsu!"

Suddenly, all around me rocky pillars began to sprout from the earth all around the man. They stretched up over his head, until they formed a sort of pyramid. "Now, to finish you! Earth Style: Tomb of Ruins Jutsu!" I slammed my open hands down on the ground and the pillars followed suit, pulling the man down with them. Within seconds, it was over.

"Ruin, that was incredible," I heard Naruto breath.

I turned to give him a weak smile. I could feel my legs begin to wobble beneath me as I tried to walk towards him. Everyone around us were silent.

"Ruina, you damned pest!" I heard two voices squawk like vultures.

I looked over my shoulder to see Riyo and Tiyo standing before me. Wait, no way, they could actually stand up! I shook my head and knew I needed to focus, but this was just straight up shocking. They were so old! How could they have the strength to hold up their sagging bodies?

"You didn't think it was over, did you Ruina?"

_Well, you can't blame me for hoping. _

I stayed where I was, barely able to hold myself up.

"You're dead either way, Ruina. We both know that you're sixteen and that is when all the Messengers die. Well, except for your mother." I stiffened at the mention of her. "Yes, Luxe was the only one we let live long enough to have much of a life. She was pathetic, really. She should have known having a child only meant she was damning both you, herself, and your father."

I turned slowly, speaking through tight lips. "How dare you! How dare you take away lives like they are nothing!"

The two laughed. "But all these lives around us, they are nothing! This village is our life force, but it doesn't matter how many people live here. As long as there is one soul in this village we will live on."

I was shaking from both rage and exhaustion. My body couldn't handle this kind of strain. "You two are dead."

They laughed. "No little girl, that is another thing you are so very wrong about. Today, you will die."

I lunged at them, unable to hold back any longer. As I rushed at them, I saw their bodies begin to meld together into some sort of demonic creature. Their bodies soon took shape and I could now see that they were turning into a large snake the color of human skin. It was sickening. I did not stop running towards them.

My hands flew with the jutsu I had used on that guard. The pillars began to form overhead, but the body of the snake just smashed them away.

"We don't want anyone interfering here, do we? So let's just set in the darkness!"

All around me darkness descended. The world around me was blacked out, except for one person.

"Ruin!" I heard Naruto yell. I turned to my right to see that he was standing there, ready to help. How could he see me?

Suddenly, I noticed that he had a hand wrapped around my wrist. So that was how.

"No, Naruto. I need to do this."

He smirked at me. "Not alone." He let go of me, doing a few hand signs and yelled, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Thousands of Narutos popped up around us. "Ready?" he asked me.

I set my body. I was going to have to use every message about a ninja that I had stored in my mind. I looked over at Naruto and saw the eagerness in his eyes for the fight. I nodded and it all began.


	16. Chapter 16

When I was much younger and was still in the orphanage, I remember knowing that somehow there was something wrong with my home. My village always seemed so sad, so devoid of light. Children who played outside were a rarity. It just wasn't something that children did. Either you were at our Academy becoming a ninja, or you were at home with your parents. The last option was one that never seemed to cross a person's mind. My option. I was stuck in an orphanage, alone, and there seemed to be no one who cared. I never understood why.

The one thing I found joy in as a child was telling stories. If there was another lonely child like me, I would go over to them and tell them a story. Sometimes, it would be about a tragic prince who was saved by a princess, or perhaps about a ninja who was stronger than all the rest and saved the world. By the end of any story, the child would look at me in awe. Then, one of the caretakers would come over and swat me away like an animal. It took a few times for me to finally realize that they didn't want me talking to the others, so I didn't.

The thought never occurred to me before, but now I see that these stories I was telling were visions from past Messengers. Somehow, we were all connected and sometimes memories and visions would leak through.

As I ran towards the giant snake that once was the Elders, I couldn't help but think of this. They were so much like the caretakers, keeping those who had thoughts separated from those who followed the pack. I shook this off. No time for thought. Time to focus.

With a kunai drawn, I jumped to the side of the snake and got ready to plunge my only kunai into its skin, but just then, one of Naruto's clones blocked my spot and stabbed there instead. I leapt to the side, hoping that I could get an eye at least, but no, one of Naruto's clones was there. They were _everywhere_. There was no end to the amount of clones he had created. Naruto's power was astounding.

I stood back, knowing that Naruto needed to take Tiyo and Riyo down a few pegs before I could actually make any sort of damage. I knew Naruto was much stronger than me, so I just focused on making some sort of plan.

I shut my eyes tight and tried to find any sort of jutsu that would be useful. That's when I saw her.

"Ruina, I can't believe I found you!" she exclaimed. I was in some sort of empty space, and in-between so to speak.

"Mom?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yes, of course it's me!" I stared at her. She was only a wisp of a person, only slightly see through at best.

"What are you doing?"

She shook her ghostly head. "I can only stay for a few minutes. I came here to show you a jutsu that only a Messenger can perform. Now, walk through me." So I did. An electrical current ran up my spine as I saw the perfect jutsu that could take down snake-Elders.

I stepped back to see that my mother was fading. "Stay with Naruto. He will protect you. I love you," she whispered and was gone.

I opened my eyes to see that most of Naruto's clones had been tossed aside and had vanished in white smoke. It was time.

Naruto

_A Few Minutes Earlier_

Naruto saw Ruin fly back. He could tell from her posture that she was not going to last much longer if the fighting kept up. It needed to be over quickly.

Naruto dashed forward with one of his clones helping to form Rasengan. Naruto lunged forward and shoved the spinning orb of chakra into the snake's center. "Rasengan!" he screamed. The skin of the snake twisted into a gnarled mess beneath the orb, but the snake did noting but shudder.

"Such power! That chakra is delicious!" the snake snarled.

Naruto leapt back. _It eats the chakra?!_ This was not good, and Naruto knew that. Just as he was about to try another attack, the earth began to rumble and pillars burst through the blackness. It was the same jutsu Ruin had used a few moments ago.

Clone after clone disappeared in a puff of white smoke as Naruto dodged the onslaught of crumbling pillars. He was fast enough to get away, but he was no Rock Lee, he couldn't run that fast. As the earth's ceased its movement, Naruto found asylum behind one of the many pillars. He positioned most of his remaining clones behind other pillars as well. He hoped this would confuse the beast.

He heard the snake drag its titanic body across the darkness. Naruto snuck a peek to see that the snake had its tongue going in and out, in and out. Absolutely ferocious.

_Well, when you think about the fact that the snake is _huge_ anything about it is absolutely terrifying, _Naruto thought as he slumped into against his hiding spot.

"Come out, little ninja!"

Naruto nearly leapt out of his hiding spot and shouted, "Here I am!" but he didn't. Thank goodness he had such restraint. He took out several paper bombs and his clones did the same. He pressed them against his column and the clones copied him. Soon, each pillar was rigged to explode. Naruto jumped up on top of the pillar he had been hiding behind and yelled, "Looking for me?" Now that he had a plan, there was no need for restraint.

Just as the snake lunged, the bombs went off and Naruto jumped into the air. The explosions blasted him further into the blackness, which meant he would come hurtling down quite fast. Naruto created a new clone. The other ones had been smoked when the explosions occurred. Rasengan began to form in his hand as he watched the snake thrash and writhe beneath him. Blood spurted from its mouth as it slammed around blindly.

Naruto turned to check on Ruin and saw that she was standing there, watching. When he caught her eye, she nodded. She knew what to do. Naruto had to finish his jutsu though, so he could not stop himself from slamming the Rasengan into one of its eyes. The snake screeched and Naruto flung himself out of the way just as the snake swung itself around and around.

A few moments later, the dust from the falling columns cleared and the snake held its head high. It was now one-eyed and Naruto found great pride in this. That had been all him. He thought back to when he was younger at had said _Believe it!_ so much. Then he whispered, "I got your eye! Believe it!"

Ruin

The chakra that coursed through my body became a second pulse. I was concentrating so hard on what I had been shown by my mother. I was going to take these bastards down.

I took out my kunai and poked each finger with the tip of it. I slashed a line in the middle of each hand and pressed them to the dark floor. I lifted my hands to see my hand prints shining in the dark surroundings. I painted the symbols my mother had shown my on my cheeks and then made the necessary hand signs. This had to be done.

"Summoning Jutsu: Messengers Past!" ghosts sprouted from my hand prints and burst from my face. I fell to my knees, letting their power flow through me. My mother would be able to use my body as a vessel. I would be gone, technically dead.

"Good job, Ruin. You'll be back soon, don't be scared," my mother assured me just as I slipped into nothing.

Naruto

Lights burst into view from Ruin's direction. What the hell was that girl doing? Naruto crept out of his hiding space to see thousands of ghosts pouring out of Ruin's face and the ground beneath her. When all stopped moving, Naruto was surrounded by an army of ghosts. The ghosts of the past Messengers.

"Naruto!" he heard a familiar voice call. He turned to see a faintly recognizable wisp that he knew as Natalia.

"Shhh!" he called. She slapped a ghostly hand to her face and floated over to him.

"We have a plan. Can you make Shadow Clones?" she asked.

Naruto made a _psh_ noise and said in a cocky voice, "Can I make Shadow Clones you ask? Watch this!" Naruto made the necessary hand signs and yelled, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Thousands of clones appeared. Naruto watched as the ghosts jumped into the clones.

"You're going to use them to fight," he discovered in awe.

"You betcha! See you later, Naruto!" Natalia called as she found a clone for herself. Just then, the strain of the battle hit Naruto. He would have to use the Fox's chakra if he wanted to continue. Then, he looked around himself and sighed. He wasn't needed anymore.

Ruin jumped high up in the air. "You know what to do!" she called and the fight began.

It was a flurry of blood and knives. Clones vanished in a puff of smoke and their inhabitants floated away howling in frustration. The feeling of a body had to something sweet to them after so many years without one. The snake was bleeding profusely now, much more than before. Soon, the snake shrunk down into the shriveled form of the Elders. They were slumped over on the ground, their bodies covered in the red iron of their blood.

Ruin spoke then, but her voice was no her own. "You cretins! You killed us all so you may live, so you may have your damned power! You haven handed my daughter a life where she only has a few days at most to live! Do you dare speak your final words?"

The Elders laughed. "Do it, Luxe. We are dead already."

Then, Ruin's body was lifted into the air, a white light surrounding her. "May you burn in hell!" Luxe screamed from within her as she slammed a fist into their skulls, crushing them.

The light faded as did the darkness. Soon, Ruin and Naruto were surrounded by the crowd that Naruto had forgotten was there. All the clones poofed and he watched wave goodbye. Naruto took a few steps towards Ruin. He watched as Luxe left her daughter's body. Then Ruin opened her eyes to see him.

Ruin

I stared into those eyes, the eyes of my love. He smiled at me, a tired smile. I fell into his arms and began to weep with joy. My village was free. But I wasn't. My life still had a time stamp on it, and that time was growing near.

I leaned back to look at Naruto and then glanced over at where the Elders' smashed forms had been. Lying there was a pile of dust instantly blown away by the breeze as if even nature knew that they did not belong in this world. I looked around at the faces of the crowd surrounding us. Every face took it in a different way. Some were crying and some looked confused and some looked afraid, but gradually, as everything set in, they all had the same reaction. Cheering.

A real smile swept across my face as I watched every person I had ever thought hated me now praise me. It was an incredible feeling. I had survived it and I had come out with minimal damage. Now I could die with a happy heart. Naruto would never have me and though the pain of that knowledge hurt, I knew that I had succeeded in my goal.

* * *

As we walked down the street later that night, a festival was just beginning. Tsunade had left right after the fight, congratulating Naruto and me before fleeing the scene. Kakashi had stayed, saying that he needed to relax. As he walked away then, I saw him pull out his book. Classic Kakashi.

All my wounds had been bandaged. I could feel each injury as I walked though, and this made it slightly uncomfortable. Naruto seemed to be fine but I knew he would need to see a doctor when he returned to his village. Just as we entered the town center, lights blazing overhead in paper lanterns, I felt a pain stab through my chest. I clutched my heart and paused, waiting for this to pass. I took a careful step forward and felt the pain again, this time far worse. Naruto turned around to see why I had stopped walking. Right before I closed my eyes, giving in to the inevitable, I saw his carefree face change to that of worry and I saw the love he had for me and only me.

For the second time that day I slipped into nothing. This time, I knew I wasn't coming back.


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, so when you read this chapter you may notice that it is in a strange point of view. This is meant to show what it would be like for someone watching this scene unfold. I wanted to show the clinical, distant feeling of a stranger watching while still letting the raw emotions leak through. Just if you were wondering. READ!!**

The walls were white and sterile. The lights overhead flickered as souls made their way to the other side. The floor's tiles were stained with a faint red substance. Dried blood. The only noise was the _click-clack-click_ of the gurney as it was rolled down the hall. A boy's hand clenched the limp hand of his love. She was there but not really. Her body was an empty shell, yet the boy refused to believe that.

The doctors worked at a frantic pace. The gurney hit the swinging doors of the emergency room with a soft thud. The boy wanted to go in the room, but could not. One medic pushed a hand against the boy's chest. He wanted to rip the man's throat out, but the boy knew he needed to wait like the rest of the world. He had to wait. He let his hand slip away slowly from hers, almost believing that she was holding on to him. But she was not. The boy watched as the doors swung shut and in a way that swinging had a sense of finality to it.

A man walked in. He made no noise and the tiles seemed to protest as others walked in front of and behind the man, wanting him to give them a voice. The man glared down at the floor as if he could understand its silent pleas. But it was not the tiles he was looking at, it was the blood on the floor. This blood was fresh. This man had come to know the sight of fresh blood.

He went towards the boy and they exchanged words. The boy looked extremely upset and angry. The man remained calm, the one eye that could be seen looking bored. The boy's face looked like indents were creasing his cheeks. His eyes were red and his pupils were slits. The man clapped his hands on the boy's shoulders and he told the boy something in a stern tone. The boy hung his head as he shuffled out the door. This man must have been the boy's superior.

A medic came through the double doors. The emergency room light shut off. Only a few minutes had passed. The two men exchanged words. One wore a well-practiced mask of sympathy as the other simply nodded. The usual spiel of _I'm sorry, sir. There was nothing we could do_ was what was expected from this medic and he played his part well. The man was not convinced by this sham. He knew better than to fall for the promises of lies. He looked over his shoulder at the door where the boy had just disappeared. What was he to tell this broken child?

The boy did not return for quite awhile, perhaps it was a few hours or perhaps it was a few minutes. Time is a hard thing to tell in a hospital. It plays with your mind. But right before the boy returned, the same medic came out with a chart in his hand. He walked over to the man who was now reading an inappropriate book. The man snapped it shut as he stood.

The medic said something and the man leaned back in shock. Then the boy walked in and the two, one ninja and one medic, looked over at his innocent face. With wide eyes, the boy took in the situation he had walked in on. He demanded the truth. His superior tried to calm him, but the boy would not be silenced. He demanded again like a spoiled child. The world could see that the boy deserved to know no matter how painful the truth was. It should not come into play whether or not the truth is painful because no matter what it must be told; everyone needs to know the truth.

The medic explained to the boy what had happened and said the same thing he had said to the man. Then, there was something else, another piece of information that would undoubtedly tear the poor broken boy to shreds. The medic paused, unsure of himself for a moment but the boy's superior nodded encouragement and the medic spoke the truth. Though the truth is what must be told most of the time it is not something one wishes to hear. The burden of truth is the hardest to bear.

The boy's voice broke the placid silence of the hospital like a rock breaks the top of a pond. "You're lying! That can't possibly be right!" he snarled at the medic.

"Why would he lie about this?" his superior asked.

The boy turned on the man with tears in his eyes. "She can't be gone! She can't be gone! She just can't be! It isn't fair that she had to leave so soon!"

"Life isn't fair," the man told him. The boy glared at the man.

"Well if she is really gone, then the other thing has to be a lie! It just can't be true!" the boy roared at the medic.

The medic nodded. "It is not a lie, young man. The girl was indeed pr--"

"Don't say it," the boy interrupted.

"Naruto, let him say it," the man told the boy.

"No! He's lying! Kakashi sensei it just can't be true."

The medic finished his sentence in spite of the boy. "The girl was indeed pregnant. There is no denying these test results."

The boy was about to slam the back of his hand into the side of the medic's face when the man stopped him. "Every person will carry the burden of grief in their lifetimes. Many will carry it more than once. Learn to control your grief, Naruto. Leave now."

The boy didn't need to be told twice. He was out the door before the man had finished speaking.

Naruto

It didn't take long for Naruto to get where he wanted. It only took a few hours now that _she_ wasn't there. He smiled as he thought about how slow _she _had traveled. As he thought, _her_ face appeared in his mind. He shook his head with frustration. This was not the right time.

When he spotted the crumbling outcropping of rocks he did not hesitate to crawl through the hole. He looked all around him at the familiar chapel's domed ceiling. He glanced over his shoulder to see the painting of _her_ staring right at him. Tears threatened as he quickly crawled through the another hole in the wall that led to where he needed to go. The tomb of the Messengers.

It was nearly daytime so Naruto knew they would be out and about soon. He sat in the middle of the circular room, surrounded by the stacks upon stacks of coffins. Would _her _spirit be here already? It was possibility that Naruto did not dwell on.

"Hey there, blondie! Miss me?" he heard the familiar voice of Natalia croon overhead. He turned to see he floating there as the spirits of the others began to appear.

"The name is Naruto not blondie," Naruto told her in a stiff tone. She seemed to recoil just a bit.

"What's wrong?" Senoo asked. Floating next to Senoo was Luxe. She had to know what had happened to her daughter.

"It's…it's Ruin." He felt a zing of pain go through his chest at the mention of her name.

"No, not this soon," Luxe muttered as he floated closer to Naruto and sat beside him.

Naruto was only able to nod. The tears he wished would stop just continued coming, rolling down his cheeks. "You want to know something else?" he asked the ghosts around him. He didn't wait for an answer. "She was pregnant with my child."

The hall erupted in exclamations of pain and disgust. It was a horrible thing to hear that a child died along with her and Naruto knew that.

"There's nothing we can do." Naruto felt so lost and hopeless.

Luxe floated in front of him and he felt the chill of her ghostly fingers on his cheeks. He looked into her silver eyes. "There is something we can do, Naruto. We can bring her back."


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry it took me so long to update! i was sick most of the week and then i had rehearsal for my play and then the play for two nights. i'll try and update more this week. enjoy!**

* * *

Naruto

Naruto sat in shock. He was frozen, completely engulfed by sadness, fatigue and the ache of his broken heart that he just didn't know what to say. Could the plan that Luxe had explained so elegantly work? He didn't know and he didn't want to examine it too much. That was not his style. He was Naruto Uzumaki, the number one knuckle-headed ninja in the Village Hidden in the Leaves! He was going to be Hokage someday! He could do anything!

Naruto smiled at these childish exclamations in his head. He pushed himself up using his hand on his knee for support like an old man uses a cane. He had a momentary flashback to when Gaara had returned from the other side, how he had been so weak. Was this how Gaara had felt? Dead inside and aching everywhere? Naruto knew that Gaara had felt some terrible pain in his lifetime but he also knew that nothing could compare to the stabbing pain through Naruto's entire body as he tried to function. Ruin was gone and the plan to get her back was so strange that he was worried he wouldn't be able to execute it. He knew that he was never the brightest student at the Academy, so he didn't know for sure if this would work.

He took a step towards Luxe, his apprehension palpable in the air around him. Luxe's wisp of a figure floated before him.

"Are you ready, Naruto?" she asked.

He looked into the ghostly face and saw his love, his Ruin and he was suddenly filled with an assurance of what he had to do and what he will do. Ruin was going to come back to him and he wouldn't let her go, not ever.

Naruto stared at Luxe with a new gleam in his eye. "I am ready, believe it!" he exclaimed. The familiarity of his past catchphrase wrapping around him like a security blanket, he reached out and touched Luxe's outstretched hand.

Luxe began to chant. "Messengers of the past, hear my plea. Lead this boy down the path he must follow to find his lost love, my lost daughter, and your lost sister. Messengers of the past, hear my plea. Show this boy how to bring back one who has been lost to us too early in her lifetime. Messengers of the past, hear my plea. Take this boy in your hands, and bring him to where he must be!" Lights erupted around them as the spirits of all the Messengers began to glow with Luxe's chant. As the ghosts sped around the room, they left streaks of white light behind them that did not fade. Soon, right where the inscritption of the Curse of the Messenger was there sat a wide mouthed door-like space where the white light wafted through with zeal.

Naruto took a few tentative steps forward. He glanced back at his new friends. Natalia waved at him with a huge toothy smile on her face. Luxe looked on with a patient look on her face and though she was a ghost Naruto could still see the lines of sadness that creased her face. Senoo watched on with a worried expression. All the other spirits just watched on in curiosity. He turned back to the glowing light before him and took one step through. The next moment it snapped shut around him and the tomb was again dark.

Luxe sent out one more silent plea when the darkness descended. "Bring her back, Naruto. Bring her back so she may be able to have the life I could never have. Bring her back so her child will have the life all of us here deserved."

For the amount of light that Naruto had stepped into, he was met with only darkness as he sped through what he was beginning to realize was what came after life. Nothing. He thought of The Third Hokage and he shivered. No, there had to be something more. Something else besides nothing. He shut his eyes away from the darkness only to be met by further darkness behind his closed lids. He filled it with images of his friends back in the Leaf Village. He wondered what Kakashi sensei was doing now.

Kakashi

"Lady Tsunade, we haven't been able to find Naruto for days now," Kakashi Hatake reported in from the rooftop of the Hokage's office.

She made a soft grunting noise as she thought. This was not good. Kakashi knew the boy would be heartbroken over losing his girlfriend, but had not expected Naruto to up and vanish. It was unsettling.

The Hokage spoke. "There is nothing more I can do. Keep the Village Hidden in the Ruins on alert and hand out his picture. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must work on a few things." Kakashi bowed his head slightly before vanishing. The 'work' that Tsunade needed to do was taking out some Soki and drink a bit. It was wrong for Naruto to have vanished and she knew that.

Kakashi hopped through the trees at a blurring pace. He needed to rush. He had to plan a funeral. Why he had taken it upon himself to plan such a thing for a girl he had hardly known, he wasn't sure. He just knew it was something that needed to be done, and seeing that the girl had no family to speak of, he simply stepped in to take the burden away from people who hadn't even met her. It was something he needed to do. Suddenly, a flash of pink caught his vision to the right and he saw that Sakura was hopping along beside him. The death of the girl had taken its toll on Sakura, the poor thing had been crying for days, three to be exact. The very moment she heard, she had broken down crying. The shared grief between pupil and teacher had brought the two ninjas together. That was the way grief helped mend the broken souls. Grief brought those who shared the burden together so they may be able to heal one another. It was both a blessing and a burden of sorts.

Three days, three very long days had passed in futile attempts to find Naruto, wherever he was. He just needed to be found. He needed to deal. How else would he have a life and move on? How else would he be able to have a family with another girl? How else would his life be set back in balance?

Naruto

The appearance of this place was disconcerting. It was so much like the real world that Naruto could hardly believe that he had traveled to the realm of those who had past. It was creepy how easily he could have just taken up a normal day there. He could have simply melded into this place's way of life. But that was not his purpose nor what he was meant to do.

The world around him was a mirror image of the one he had just left. He was in his village, or the mirror version of it. The only thing that was different was the people there. There was a whole range of ages and as Naruto walked down the street, he saw some of these people change. Not their clothing or their hair or anything that simple. He saw them _change._ It seemed to him that the spirits had the ability to pick which age of their former-selves they wished to be and could be that. An old woman walking down the street saw an attractive teenage boy and flipped her appearance to that of a teenage girl and the two struck up a conversation. Age didn't matter here because there was no such thing there. The real version of life was over and all these spirits seemed comfortable in their mirror.

Naruto spotted mirror-Ichiraku and pushed in to see that an older woman and young girl were working the counter. Naruto plopped down on a stool. When the older woman saw him, her spirit instantly changed to that of a five-year old girl. She ran over to hide beneath the young girl's apron.

"What's wrong, Mishi?" the young girl asked. Then, she caught site of Naruto and she nearly dropped the pot of water she was holding. Her eyes narrowed at him. "Your kind is not welcome here."

"I'm looking for someone--" Naruto began to explain but the girl cut him off.

"Oh, you're one of those! You types come here and try and save your children or spouses or siblings, but you just end up stuck here! You better leave while you still can," the girl warned. She set the large pot down on the counter behind her. "Go on, Mishi. Why don't you play out back?"

The little girl nodded and left, staring at Naruto as she went.

Naruto sighed. "This is different. The girl I'm here to get is a Messenger and--" he was interrupted by the clatter of shattering dishes. He looked at the girl as she snapped her fingers and the dishes came back up into her hands, unbroken.

"A Messenger, you say?" The girl continued cooking as if nothing had gone wrong. "Those ones are always popping in and out of here. They change every few years though. Recently, there's been a girl with white hair who pops in everyone in awhile. She'll look around with wide eyes and then pop away. Haven't seen her in about--"

"Five days," Naruto finished for her.

The girl stopped what she was doing. "Oh no, don't tell me another one kicked the bucket! Those Messengers can never live past the age of 16 except for Granny Luxe. The poor girl, she must be off wandering right about now. She won't ever find this place until her body is put to rest." The girl was working furiously.

"Where would I find her?"

The girl wiped her hands on her apron and turned to look at him. "It's never the same for spirits. But, the usual for a Messenger is in the fields just beyond this forest. They usually wander there. Sometimes, they end up in the desert but they all end up finding that village of theirs. It wasn't even around when I was alive. Then one day it just popped up here with a bustling population of spirits. From what I could tell on my few visits, it's a nice place. Anyways, just head to the fields. There will be several thousand souls wandering there, but if you focus hard enough, the one you're looking for will appear for you." She turned back to her work as she asked something. "How do you plan on bringing her back?"

Naruto stiffened. "I can't talk about it, sorry."

The girl shrugged then dropped a bowl of steaming ramen before the bowl. "No problem, I was just curious. Every single one of you types always have a plan and love to share it. But I can tell that you're different from the rest." Naruto nodded at this and snapped apart the chopsticks. He sucked up some noodles and his mouth was instantly filled with the familiar flavors of his favorite ramen.

"It's incredible! This tastes just like the ramen back home!" he exclaimed as he continued to chow down.

"Well I'm glad to hear my great-grandson kept the recipe the same," she said as her spirit changed to that of an old woman.

"No way! You founded this place?"

"Yep. The sad part is that I never got to see it really succeed. My daughter and I died in a fire. She was in her mid-thirties but I was an old woman by then. It was so unfair that she lost her chance to raise her child."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, you go and rescue that girl for the both of us."

He nodded and slurped up the last of the broth.

"Thanks for the help, lady!" Naruto called over his shoulder as he headed to the fields. The girl turned old woman simply shook her head and smiled at his youthful spirit. She hoped he would be successful mission. And like so many other times in his life, Naruto had made yet another friend.


	19. Chapter 19

Naruto

At first, traveling was easy. Naruto just whistled as he went, his guard completely down. He didn't need to be afraid of anything here. Yet, his ninja senses that had been built up over the years could still flare up if need be. At the moment, though, he didn't really need anything but _her. _

It was distracting, the constant feeling of dread as he fantasized about seeing _her _again. Would _she_ be the same? Of course she would, there was no doubt about that. Just because she had died didn't mean she would change. Did it? Naruto couldn't stop the worrying thoughts from tormenting his mind as he trudged forward, deeper and deeper into the forest. Hopping from tree to tree helped him relax, though his anxiety over the meeting was still itching at the back of his mind. He needed it all to be alright. He thought of his child who he could save. What would he or she look like? He didn't care if the child would be a boy or a girl, just that it was _theirs_ and _only theirs. _Naruto seemed to be growing up, though at the pace of a snail, it was still noticeable. It was a fascinating thing for those he passed in the woods. They had made tree houses or huts or tents to live in. They watched a boy hopping by but the spirit world does crazy things. Just like all the spirits around him, Naruto was changing into someone more mature, granted not older, but still. He was becoming a man.

It was laughable really to think about such a concept. Becoming a man, that is. Naruto couldn't tell the difference in himself. He was on a mission. He was only focused on that one thing.

_Save her_.

He began to push himself harder, going at a faster pace through the trees. Soon he began to see patches of green grass and roving wisps. It was a magical thing to see. The wisps kept on floating down like snowflakes, never ending. They would land on the ground, and then sprout up like snow trees. Then, they would begin to walk. When Naruto made it to the end of the forest, he noticed that the wisps seemed to be different. Those that had just landed were barely there and others were almost complete forms. He assumed that this must mean they were completely dead. But all souls had to wait in limbo for a little while. They needed to figure a few things out and let go of what they had lost. Many new spirits he saw were sobbing and crying out the names of those they will never see for many years to come. This was his fate when he would meet Death. It sent chills down Naruto's spine.

Naruto hopped down from his perch. For a moment, he hoped that he wouldn't have to go onto that field. What would happen if he did? Naruto steeled himself and trudged forward. He glanced every which way. He couldn't find _her_. He went deeper into the mess of spirits and found those who would soon find their way. He came up to a boy who must have been about Naruto's age when he died.

"Have you seen a girl here with white hair and big green eyes? She has weird tattoos on both shoulder blades," Naruto said to the boy.

The boy glanced up at him and shrugged. "All of us have white hair when we start out. But, I think the girl that you're talking about is right over there." The boy pointed over to where the field ended on the opposite end. He could see that the forest started up again there and standing right at the edge of it, hand up against a tree, was a wisp that was forming rapidly into what _she _was when she lived.

_Ruin…_

Naruto knew it was _her_, there was no doubt in his mind. He began to sprint towards _her, _throwing a thank you to the boy as he ran. Faster and faster he went until the spirits around him only saw a yellow flash as he went by. He stopped a mere five feet away from _her_ form. He could see her white hair beginning to show and that her skin seemed to be turning back to the way it was. Her green eyes didn't look up from the tree as she focused on it.

Naruto gulped. He tried to say _her _name, but the mere thought of speaking it aloud made his heart ache. He closed the gap between them and reached out his hand to press against the tree. He saw her eyes go wide and then turn their haunted gaze on him. She was changing from a wisp to a solid form too fast. She needed to slow down. She had to come back with him.

"N-n-n-no," she whispered. "What did you do? Why are you here? Are you dead, too? Please, tell me that it isn't that, anything but that! Don't be dead. You should have lived. I should have tried harder to stay with you. I should have…" Her voice trailed off. Naruto removed his hand from the tree and pressed it against her now solid cheek.

"I'm not dead. I came here to bring you back."

"What? Th-tha-that's impossible! I-I-I'm dead." When she said that last word, she really sounded dead. It scared Naruto.

"Your mother showed me how to bring you back, but we need to hurry. Take my hand." He moved his hand from her cheek to be held just in front of her own hand. He pleaded her with his eyes. "Please."

"S-say my name," she whispered.

"Say your name?"

She nodded sharply and continued to stare into his eyes. There was something different about her and as Naruto continued to stare, he realized that she wasn't afraid, not anymore. The Elders had been destroyed and she was safe. She would be even safer with him. With that thought in mind he was able to speak the name he had been avoiding. "Ruina, that's your name. But, you prefer Ruin."

A small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, I do." She took his hand carefully and continued to lock eyes with him. "Naruto, thank you for coming here." Hearing her say his name sent shivers through Naruto's body.

They began to run then. Ruin could fly in the air as Naruto held on to her hand like a kite string. "We need to go to your village," he told her.

"How is my village here?" she asked, bewildered.

"This place is a mirror of the world we were in. Just go the normal way and we'll get there. When we reach your village, I'll tell you what we need to do from then on." She nodded and they went faster. Naruto's feet would lift up from the ground at random intervals as Ruin tried to go faster and faster still. She had to know that they needed to rush.

Naruto's plan was etched into his mind. It was an odd thing that he needed to do to bring back both Ruin and his child. Should he tell Ruin that she has their child? Would it change her? Maybe, maybe not. It would most likely be better if he kept that little piece of information to himself. Just as he decided this, the ruins of the Village Hidden in the Ruins flashed in his vision through the trees. He saw splotches here and there of people. Then a thought occurred to him. Would the Messengers from the past be there? It was their village and they were dead, so it made sense to wonder.

When they made it to the entrance to the village, Ruin floated back down to stand beside him. "Okay, now what?"

Naruto looked at her. She was solid now, a completed form. Completely dead. He didn't know if this would make a difference in what he needed to do, but he did worry just a bit. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "Follow me."

* * *

**sorry that i take so long to update but i have been pretty busy. like the chapter? hope you did! thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated and rewarded with cookies! also, sorry for the shortness but i'm still trying to come up with a few things that will help the ending have closure. i have no idea how many chapters there are left...is that a good thing? not sure. i'll try and update tomorrow! thanks for reading ^.^**


	20. Chapter 20

Kakashi

Kakashi was scared. It was unusual for him, but the emotion did occur every once and awhile. Where was Naruto? Had that boy gone and gotten himself killed? Kakashi was tormenting himself with these thoughts as he searched frantically along side the other Jounin from his village. Where could that boy be?

Naruto

When Ruin and Naruto made it to the center of the village, all eyes were on them. A ghost and a human, together? It was a rarity, especially in the spirit world. They trudged on and tried not to look like they noticed the eyes. Naruto felt a touch on his shoulder and turned. Just as his eyes found nothing, a wisp caught his eye in the opposite direction. His guide.

"This way," he said as he pulled Ruin along. It felt so good to feel the strain of her fingers clutching to his. It also reminded him that she was completely gone. They needed to move fast.

Naruto picked up his speed, straining his calves as he pushed them forward. He followed slight glimpses of the wisp until they were back in the forest. The two continued to run, though, as he pushed harder and harder. When they finally came to a stop, it was not of his own accord. He had run smack into a brick wall.

Ruin clapped her free hand to her mouth and shook with giggles she could not control. "My hero," she swooned and then burst into another round of giggles. This carefree side of Ruin was so nice, so precious, that Naruto had to stop himself from staring. He glared at her and they walked along the wall until they made it to what appeared to be the entrance.

The wall that Naruto had run into was connected to a temple. The rock was gray and chipped from years of sitting in the same spot. Moss and ivy hung over the rock in thick globs. The entrance yawned before them. Ruin squeezed his hand and he could practically feel her fear flow through her to him.

"What is this place?" she asked. Her eyes widened like a deer in headlights.

"This is where we are going to get you back home. You'll be alive soon, Ruin." She looked at him with slight unease written on her features. "Ruina, you cannot lose hope. You have to believe." In a way, Naruto felt like he was telling her that if she didn't be a good girl, Santa Clause wouldn't bring her any presents. But that was true: if she didn't believe the entire plan may unravel.

Naruto came out of his trance and realized that Ruin had already begun moving forward. Death had made her bold. It was unsettling. Was this how Ruin would have been if she had not been put through her rough life. Naruto found himself loving her even more for being what she had never been given the chance of. It was impossible to imagine what she could have been like, but seeing her like that, so free, he knew. Naruto knew that Ruin would have been a lot like him, in ways. But he also knew her timid nature would stick, no matter what. She was being rushed in this world. That kicked him in gear. He started a light jog to catch up with her.

Ruin glanced over at him. Naruto could see fear in her eyes as they walked. She slipped her hand into his. Another bold move, not that he minded. They walked in silence as they always did. Somehow it had become routine for them to stay quiet as they walked and not speak a word. The hall they walked down was dim, the only light leaked through the cracks and fissures in the walls and ceiling. Naruto was unable to see any of the gray stone, the inside was so overrun with ivy and moss. They even walked on a soft carpet of the green stuff. Their feet made no noise as they continued.

It seemed as if as they continued to walk they didn't get any closer to their destination. Naruto could feel his anxiety begin to well up in his chest. This didn't feel right. He wanted so desperately to keep Ruin safe that traits unknown to everyone, including Naruto, began to emerge. He was thinking all of this through, everything that he had to do. He wasn't going to jump into this blind like on any other mission. This was important. This had to work.

Finally, the two reached a large slab of the grey stone. On the stone there appeared to be a pattern but it was obscured by the moss and ivy. Ruin stiffened at his side.

"What is it?" he asked, worry creasing his voice. Ruin's hand went limp in his.

"I've seen this all before." Her voice was haunted.

He looked at the stone slab and back at Ruin. What was going on?

Ruin

A cold chill swept through me. It was all so surreal. The fact that Naruto was there with me and then that.

That wall. No, not a wall. A door. It was a giant door but Naruto couldn't tell that. He also didn't know what was carved into it. I did. I reached forward and pressed my hand to the uncomfortably warm stone. My hand slipped from Naruto's grasp and I began to tear down the moss and ivy. I wanted to see it for myself, to know that I hadn't actually seen this before.

It took me awhile and by the time I was done sweat plastered my tunic to my back. What I saw made me freeze. Though my heart no longer was beating, I knew that if it had it would have stopped for a second. The carving before me was that of a child with an eye tattooed to each shoulder blade and looking over its shoulder. Messengers from the past had created this place. Why?

I turned to check Naruto's expression but he wasn't paying any attention to the carving. He was looking at me. I glared at him, sudden geyser of rage shooting through me. This was wrong, all wrong. I should just stay dead, that was the way it was meant to be. If I was really supposed to be alive, wouldn't I still be? Alive, I mean.

"Naruto, we should go back."

His eyes grew wide. "Why?"

"This is wrong. I'm dead. It's over, Naruto. Just let it go." I was being harsh and I knew it. I needed to be, though. He just didn't get it.

"You don't get it, do you? You were not supposed to die. The Elders did this to you by giving you the power of the Messenger. You-"

"I was born with this! It doesn't matter that they picked me because I was the only one! This was meant to be, Naruto. I'm supposed to be dead!"

Naruto was beginning to get mad. The lines on his face were beginning to grow more defined. What the hell?

"Why are you giving up?"

I sighed. "I'm not. I'm just facing the facts."

Naruto growled, "That's the same thing."

"Bu-"

He slammed his fist against the wall. "No, Ruina! No! You're giving up! When the world isn't the way you want it you fight it! You don't back down and say, 'Let's face facts, we won't be able to change anything.'"

His eyes began to glow red. "Naruto," I whispered his name.

He was glaring so hard at me and his fist seemed to be glued to the wall. When he finally pulled it back, a deep indent remained. Whoa.

I took a careful step forward. "Please Naruto, I didn't mean to make you so upset."

He took a deep breath with his eyes closed. When he opened them, they were back to their crisp blue. "I'm sorry, Ruin. That damned fox likes to break through when I'm upset like that. It's not exactly under my control." He seemed sincerely sorry and if forgave him.

"It's no problem. We all have our issues," I said, flashing both my wrists and a grin. Naruto did not smile at me. I took a step closer and suddenly I felt nervous. I felt like the girl I had been before I realized that he loved me and that I loved him. I felt like I could never be enough for him. I itched at my scabs as my nerves spread. My knees began to quake I knew I was about to cry. Why was I having a breakdown?

Naruto asked, "What's wrong?"

I swallowed my want to scream. Suddenly, I was terrified and I had the urge to cut myself so deep I would never wake up. I was dead anyway so what did it matter? When I watched Naruto pan his eyes over my body, I could tell it did matter. Especially to Naruto.

My shaking continued as I tried to calm myself. I said, "This just all feels so wrong. I want so badly to come back and have a real life but I'm so…"

Naruto took a careful step forward. "What?"

I tried to steady myself but I failed epically. "I'm so scared." I wrapped my arms around myself and continued to shiver and quake. Naruto stood in front of me for a moment. Then, he folded me into his arms and I cried.

"What if when I come back I can't remember anything? Or I get given a whole new chance at life and I never meet you? What if it all goes wrong? What if-"

Naruto squeezed me close to his chest and I stopped speaking. He pulled me away from him for a moment to look at me straight on. "I won't let anything happen to you, Ruin. I swear."

Staring into those eyes I believed him with all my heart. I turned from him and pressed my hand to the stone wall, overcome with the knowledge of past Messengers. "Reveal to me the Room of Eyes," I said, but my voice was not my own. It overflowed with voices and echoed all around though we were in a narrow spot in the hall. A crack sounded throughout the structure and the wall began to lift. Naruto tugged me back and wrapped his arms around my waist as we watched it lift.

A moment later, we entered the Room of Eyes.


	21. Chapter 21

Naruto

As Ruin and Naruto moved forward into the dark he had to push down on the Fox's hold on him. If Naruto wasn't careful, he could end up hurting Ruin. He would never be able to forgive himself for that. He clutched to Ruin's hand as they walked. The room they entered was shrouded in complete darkness. Naruto felt Ruin stiffen beside him and then her eyes were glowing with light, piercing the darkness.

"Ruin," he breathed. She then snapped her fingers and one flame after another flicked on around them. The room was square and in the center sat a book as thick and old as time itself. The book was on an alter made of the same gray stone but this stone was stained with a reddish substance. Naruto examined the walls as his eyes adjusted. It appeared that all over the stone walls in the room thousands of eyes had been carved, each one slightly different from the other. Some were open and some were shut but it appeared that each radiated with power. He looked over at Ruin, whose eyes had stopped glowing but appeared to be in a trance of some sort. Her hand slipped from his grasp as she moved forward to the center of the room. She placed her hand on the book. Her head flung back and light erupted from her mouth and eyes. A piercing noise ripped the air around them. A few moments later, the sound was gone. So was Ruin.

Naruto ran forward to the spot where she had been only moments ago. "Ruin!" he yelled. A closed eye opened. It stared at him and moved, following his frantic searching.

"_You will not be able to find her."_

Naruto's head jerked around. "Who is that?"

"_I am nothing yet everything. I see all yet I am blind. I hear every sound yet I am deaf to that which I need to hear. I have no true name. I am all." _

Naruto asked, "What do you mean?"

"_This is my realm, human. This is my temple." _

In an instant, every eye was open and staring at Naruto. He stood his ground. "_Your _temple?"

"_Yes, I created it as a way for my people to find answers they sought."_

"So you were a Messenger?"

"_I am _the_ Messenger. The Village Hidden in the Ruins was once my village in which my clan was able to live peacefully."_

"Clan?"

"_A long time ago, the Village Hidden in the Ruins was nothing but a place for my followers to stay. Each one of my followers shared a piece of my _DNA. _We were known as the Watchers. It was a word that meant much power to the surrounding villages." _

Naruto could sense that something bad had happened. He knew that the clan this voice was speaking of no longer existed. He remained silent. He figured that the voice would continue without any badgering.

"_A hundred years ago to this very day, two demons entered my village and killed off all but three of my followers. I was one of the ones who was killed. The three followers continued on with their lives but were not set about the task of recruiting more people to join the village. Now, only one family shares my _DNA_."_

"That girl who just vanished, Ruina? She was a Messenger, too. She died about a day ago because her body couldn't handle the power. What can I do to save her?"

"_You wish to bring her back? Well, no I understand why you ventured into my temple. She is with me right now. I am telling her everything she must know and more. I will cure her but first she must undergo a few tasks. The Messenger gene will never be awakened in the child that she will birth. I swear to you. But now I must go, human. Leave my temple and the girl will be returned to you within moments. _

"_Once she is with you, take her to the cliff. You two must jump off the edge without hesitation or you will die." _

Naruto nodded, understanding what he must do. He began to sprint down the corridor. Ruin would meet him at the end and that was all that mattered. They could be together again.

Ruin

"What the heck is going on?" I demanded as I stared at a tall girl. She had piercing blue eyes and I felt exposed as she looked me over. She wore tight black capris with a short sleeve shirt over fishnets. Her hair was black and chopped in a way similar to my own but I could tell her style was on purpose.

She made a soft noise in her throat and said, "I approve."

I was startled by this. "Wh-what are y-you t-t-t-talking about?" Damn that stutter I thought I had gotten over it.

The girl extended a hand. "My name is Sumara. I come from the Village Hidden in the Dreams."

I shook Sumara's hand. I said, "I've never heard of that village."

Sumara sighed. "You're not the first," she said. "My village is quite small."

Suddenly, a voice boomed over head. "_Enough of this idle chit-chat. Let me speak, daughter." _Sumara stiffened then bowed to nothing. She sat down before me and seemed to be waiting for something.

"_Ruina, my daughter, do not fear me."_

I craned my neck around the black expanse I was in. "Um, who is this?"

"_I am nothing and everything. I see all yet I am bl-"_

Sumara interrupted him. "Meseru, stop with the cryptic speeches they make my head hurt." I heard the voice sigh deeply and the air around me wavered. A form appeared before me. He was tall, about as tall as a tree. The beard he had just brushed the floor as he stood there. His face looked extremely young except for the wrinkles around his eyes. The eyes were pale. He was blind.

"I am Meseru," he said in a deep voice. Sumara stepped in front of him and looked at me.

"He's so overdramatic. All he has to tell you is that your village was founded by him. Then the Elders came and wiped him and all the other villagers except for three out. Two left while one remained. The founder of my village is one of the three. The people in my village have a power similar to yours but we can read minds and a select few can walk in other peoples' dreams. I lost my ability to read minds but that has nothing to do with this. He's going to make you do some tasks and then if you make it you can live. You got that?"

I understood that but a question popped into my mind randomly. "What did you mean by 'I approve'?"

Sumara issued a dramatic sigh. "I met Naruto awhile ago and he was a good kid. A little bit wacky though, but still good at heart. So I knew that whoever his girlfriend would be she had to be good at heart too. That's you all over, Ruina."

"Ruin," I corrected. She smiled at me. It was warm and full of what was that? Respect? Maybe. I didn't really have time to find out.

"So I have to do tasks?"

Meseru nodded. "Three at the most, one at the least. Sumara you may return the Sand Man."

She growled as she started to walk away. "That's not his name! His name is Gaara and he's the Kazekage! Can't you at least have respect for that?" A second later she was gone.

"Now," Meseru boomed, "to begin your tasks!" Meseru clapped his hands together and the world around us burst with colors. We stood in the middle of a rainbow.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Tell me your deepest, most desperate desire."

I bit my lip. Was it to have love or to have a family? Or just to have a normal life? I couldn't decide. "I don't know, Meseru."

He nodded with understanding. "Look within the colors and see what could have been if the Elders had never ruined everything." I stared for a moment and then I saw my parents, happy and carefree. There I was, too. My skin had a light tan but my hair was still extremely white. I wore a peculiar outfit and a headband was tied around my forearm. I was a ninja. A flash of blond from the corner of the image went by and a moment later Naruto was leaning into me, kissing me. My parents looked away with pleased smiles. This was all that I had ever wanted, truly.

"Would you like this desire to become a reality?"

I glanced over at him, afraid to look away from the beauty of what could have been. "Could you do that?"

"Yes…and no. It is all up to you, Ruina. You can make some of this real."

"What do you mean?"

Meseru turned and stared into my eyes. "You could be a ninja and you could be happy with Naruto. Why don't you?"

_I don't deserve him. I don't deserve a life like that._ I wanted to say this but didn't. That made no difference.

"Why don't you deserve a life that is worth living?"

"I…" I stopped, my voice dead. I was stumped. Why couldn't I allow myself to enjoy life? It popped into my head an instant later. "I don't deserve it because I feel responsible for the deaths that I predict. I feel guilty for what I am, for being a tool used to destroy those around me. I don't feel worthy." When I said it, the words felt resounding and true. I really did feel that way.

"Then you are stupid," Meseru said flatly. "Be prepared, young Messenger. What I am about to put you through may scar you for as long as you exist. Are you ready?"

I was shaking so hard. I nodded my head, but he may have just thought that was from my uncontrollable trembling. "Ye-yes."

He clasped his hands together and the world wavered. The colors vanished. I was sucked into a deep abyss. I was gone, to where, I wasn't sure.


	22. Chapter 22

Ruin

"Ruina! Get your butt out of bed before I make you!" I heard a familiar female voice yell from a short distance.

I rolled over and snuggled my face into my pillow. I couldn't really remember anything except that I was somewhere very different from where I was a few seconds ago. I tried to think harder about it, but my skull was throbbing. I pulled my sheets around my body and snuggled deeper into the nest I made of my bed. Wait a second…! I flung myself out of my _bed_. I've never had a bed in my entire existence. I looked around where I was. Odd images of a dark cavernous room with only a mat as bedding pierced my mind. What the hell? I stumbled over to my closet and opened the door a crack. Clothing, simple but it was there. I had never had more than one piece of clothing at a time. I quickly dressed, my mind working overtime. I needed to figure some stuff out.

I walked down a silent hall that opened upon a kitchen and living room. I glanced around the room, shocked. My mind was fighting itself. Part of me believed there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. The other part, the more reasonable part, knew that something was up. When I saw the person in the kitchen - the one who had called me - I knew for sure that there was something wrong here. The woman who turned around to look at me was my very own mother. She was beating eggs in a bowl. She scowled at me.

"If you don't hurry, you are going to be late for the Chunnin Exams. Do you want to have to take them _again?_" Yep, this was definitely my mom. She looked almost exactly like me. Also, she had that fire in her eyes that I knew was in my mine on rare occasions but was still there. The fire always came when I was with Naruto…

Hold on a second! I was beginning to remember what was going on. Flashes of things appeared in my head. Dancing colors. A girl, Sumara, talking to me. A powerful man with a long beard telling me about tasks. Naruto. I most of all remembered Naruto. And then it hit me, the most important piece of information. I was dead. I nearly fell over but the death grip I had on one of the kitchen chairs held me up. My mom glanced at me, worry creasing her young face. "Ruin, are you al-" before she could finish she was interrupted by a booming voice of a man.

"Luxe, have you noticed that here is a strange girl in our kitchen?" he asked. A moment later, I was lifted off my feet in a bear hug. I squealed like a giddy five year old who only lived for the attention of their father. I was released from my bondage and sat at the table.

My mom swatted his shoulder before he scooped her into a kiss. "Good morning, beautiful." She giggled like a teenager and I pretended to gag on my breakfast. I glanced at the clock on the wall. Crap!

"Bye guys, I'll see you in a few days!" I yelled as I ran out the door with a backpack over my shoulder. As I walked down the main street, there was something different about it. Everyone looked so happy. The giant palace thing that the Elders had stayed in was gone. In it's place was a pavilion for shopping and such. Right next to that was the Ninja Academy. I was thinking normally now. I knew that this was not the right way of the world. I wish it was.

"Just relax. You'll be fine." I hear a voice say from beside me. I glance over. Standing there is Sumara, the girl from reality.

I push her out of the main path and into a tiny shop. "What the hell is going on?"

I saw a flash of understanding in her eyes. "As I said before, just relax. You'll be fine. If you start to freak out, you'll never complete this task."

"What is this about?"

She sighed. "Okay, did I tell you that I had died before? I sacrificed something of my own so I could be with the guy I love. This is going to a bit similar, but in another case totally different." I gave you my best what-the-hell? look.

She rolled her eyes. "Let's just get going." She started to run. I followed.

We ran through the forest and popped out on the other side in a few minutes. There sat the Village Hidden in the Leaves. My breath caught. Will Naruto be here?

"Just chill, okay? Naruto is taking the same exam. Shit! I shouldn't have said that." Was this girl going to be my guardian angel of sorts?

Several minutes later we're in a waiting room with a bunch of other Genin from all other villages. I see a boy with reddish hair and coal rimmed eyes. I could tell that Sumara was deliberately ignoring him.

"Sumara, what's up with you and that guy?" I asked.

"In this reality, we don't know each other. I could screw everything up by talking to him. He's, um, well he's kind of my boyfriend." I stared at her with wide eyes. This whole situation was so confusing. I was getting stressed, really stressed. My body was shaking. Sumara grabbed my arm.

"Ruin, what is going on?" she asked.

I fumbled with my weapon pouch. I needed my kunai. Understanding hit her and she clamped her hand around my wrist like a shackle. "Don't you dare," she hissed.

I glance down at my arms. There were no scars. No marks of my self-abuse. It looked so weird yet perfect. My skin was pristine. Just as I was about to try and wrench my wrist from Sumara's iron grasp, a slight hush came over the room. I glanced over. My heart stopped. Standing there clad in nothing but black was Naruto. His face was hard, those beautiful blue eyes solid eyes. I sear Sumara with a glare. "What the hell is going on?"

Sumara is forced to pull me outside. "Listen to me. The thing is, Naruto's life is totally different. He is a Jinchurriki, but he never made a single friend. I don't know why, Meseru won't tell you.

"What does that have to do with me?" I hiss.

"Ruin, this reality is the one that would be if your parents had never died. Everything is off balance. Naruto is who he should never be. You are the way you could have been. Accept it."

I pushed her back. "That is not Naruto in there. That is someone who looks and sounds like him, but that is not the Naruto I knew…know." I was really shaking now. I needed to get some control.

"Ruin, you agreed to these tasks. Face the facts, this is all your fault." That was it. I snapped. I reached out and slapped her right in the face. She glared at me, rubbing her jaw just a bit. "I guess I deserved that. But listen, this is all in the plan. Just do as you think you should. It'll all work out."

Sure it will.

We head back into the waiting room. I shuffle around. Each time, I got closer and closer to Naruto. Soon, I was within a few feet. A nervous feeling set my blood cold. I looked up. He was glaring at me.

"Can I help you with something?" his voice was cold, hard. I decided to be bold.

"Yeah, you can help me by getting an attitude check."

His eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

My white hair hung to my waist. I flipped it back in an extremely bitch-girl fashion. "What is your problem? You come in here acting like you're the king of everything. Don't you understand that we are all the same level here? Or did we all just miss the memo?"

Naruto was stiff. The black lines on his face deepened as the words sunk in. He reached out his hand to grab my shirt. I touched his hand and we were sucked into my mind. No, this was not what I wanted. I pulled back and so did. He looked disoriented. Swiftly, he regained his control. He stared down at me and I stared back. I could feel the electricity between us crackle.

"See you in the forest," he growled just as he stormed off.

The beginning of the exam was easy. They always did it the same, no matter what. You had to figure out how to get the answers without getting caught, blah, blah, blah. I finished my exam with an hour to go. I glanced around. The guy with red hair wasn't taking the exam. He must have been there to help out a student. I looked around a bit more, making sure I didn't look like I was examining tests. My pencil was at the top of my desk, my paper flipped over. When I caught site of Naruto, he was staring straight back at me. I snapped my fingers and the world fell away. Only he and I remained.

We stood in an open courtyard. A fountain sprouted in the middle of it. Surrounding the courtyard were bushes and trees and flowers, a luxurious mixture of life. I stared at him, taking in his appearance. His head band hung around his neck which let his hair fall slightly in front of his eyes. He wore heavy black pants, black netting and a black short sleeved shirt. Where was the orange that so defined who he was? That wild and free spirit, where was it?

"What do you want from me?"

I shrugged and sat on the edge of the fountain. The truth was, I had no clue what I was doing. My heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. If I didn't chill out soon, I would have a heart attack.

"Well, if you're just gonna sit there then put me back in the classroom."

"What is your problem?"

He shrugged. "Nothing."

"That is not an answer," I say, getting livid.

"What is _your _problem? I've never met you before in my life and all of a sudden you have this interest in me! What do you want?"

_I want the boy I love back! I want to come back to life and get out of this screwed reality! I want more than anything to give you the life you deserve! _I didn't' say any of this. I wanted to, oh hell, I wanted to. I didn't, though. The thing was, if I wanted to figure why the hell Meseru was putting me through stuff like this, then I needed to give Naruto some space. At least, for a little while.

"N-n-nothing. J-j-just be c-c-careful who you're st-st-staring at."

He laughed. "Wow, what's with the stutter? Is the Earth shaking and only you can feel it?"

I reached out and slapped him. Wow, that was really stupid…who cares? It felt great! "Quit being such an asshole. No one is feeling sorry for you just because you put on this act. When we meet in the forest, you'll have some things to deal with. From me." I snapped my fingers and we were back in the classroom. He looked flushed and fire danced in the ice of his eyes. I had struck a nerve. If I wanted to shatter this façade I needed to do it quickly. Was this the task Meseru wanted me to accomplish?

* * *

**hey everyone! just wanted to give you a heads-up that i might make the rest of this story into a sequel...maybe I'm not sure. But I _am_ sure that there will be some sort of sequel to this story. I'll figure it out later! Thanks for reading and plz review! Cyber cookies for everyone!**


	23. Chapter 23

The Forest of Death was what I expected. Deadly.

I was beginning to get the idea that my team did not want me there. I didn't understand why, though. I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing in there nor did I have any idea of what my teammates were like. I was a powerful asset to my team, I could tell from their body language and how they spoke to me. All I did was let my body take over and I could fight. If I thought about anything at all I wouldn't be able to perform any sort of jutsu. It was both a curse and a blessing. I could just be calm, cold.

There was something peculiar about what was going on here. I knew for a fact that the red headed kid, now known as Gaara to me, was the Kazekage in my reality. But now he was still a Genin trying to become a Chunnin. He was the same age as Naruto and me. This reality was extremely wrong. If someone as powerful as Gaara was not even a Chunnin then there had to be something off balance. Could it just be the fact that Naruto was so different? Did he really affect that much?

I tried as hard as possible to work well with my teammates yet they still pushed me aside. I wanted to find that same bold courage that I had had with Naruto earlier, but it had been put out like a match. I remained silent as my other two teammates took control. I was merely a pawn in this epic game of death.

We had been given an Earth Scroll. I really hoped that I wouldn't have to fight Naruto or Sumara. Oh, and I couldn't leave out Gaara. His skills with his sand were legendary in my village. He had such cool precision. I envied that.

We had only been in the forest for several hours and had experienced several run-ins with killer bugs and animals. We still hadn't seen a single person. My team and I sat under a gargantuan tree, hoping to find asylum. Welts were forming all over their arms and shoulders. A swarm of large wasps had come at us. I was about to perform a jutsu that would keep us safe when one of my teammates just shoved me aside. I thought they deserved what they got.

Mosco, the male of the group, had taken the most damage. Sasano, the other girl, only had a few welts on her shoulder blades. My skin was pristine, uncomfortably pristine. I wanted to fight. I needed a chance to prove myself. As I sat there in my reverie of grandeur I felt a presence above us.

"Ambush at twelve o'clock!" I holler as I bolt from underneath the tree. My teammates followed, but at a much slower pace. They had really taken one for the team, or in other words, had tried to take all the glory.

I stood, my hand ready with ninja stars in my fingers. I was waiting for the perfect time.

As my luck would have it, who would jump down from the other than the blond ninja I loved? He stood there with a cocky smile and cold eyes. Behind him stood a boy the same age as him with short spiky black hair. He wore a blue shirt and khaki shorts. He stood behind Naruto like a whipped puppy. The way he stared at the guy showed that he worshipped Naruto. Next to the puppy guy was a girl in a black mini-dress and pink hair. The dress hugged her every curve, and I knew she intended this. She wore heavy make-up. She looked very much like a prostitute, a cheap one. Her skirt barely came low enough to cover her ass. She stepped up to Naruto and dug her claws into his shoulder. She nipped at his earlobe and whispered something. What had happened to the nice and caring Sakura that I had known in my reality? It scared me. I hated that everything could have been so different. I also loved it. My parents were alive. I had a good life. But then why did I feel so hollow? I needed a fight.

"Let me guess. You have an Earth Scroll." Naruto stated flatly.

A stiff nod was my only response.

"Sasuke," Naruto called. The whipped puppy stepped forward. "Why don't you go and scout out the area?"

Sasuke looked like this was the best thing to ever happen to him. I felt sick to my stomach as I watched Sasuke skip away. An image flashed in my mind. A Message? Yes, but a very quick one. It seemed to be a mash-up of events. The gist: this was not the way Sasuke should be. Or at least, the Sasuke that I watched skip was not the one that actually existed.

Sakura continued to lean into Naruto. Her breasts pressed up against his shoulder and I could feel my face burning with embarrassment and anger. This was getting me pissed off. I needed blood. I had never felt such a bloodlust before in my life, but at that moment, I wanted a fight so badly I began to quake. I took out my kunai and dug it across my hand. I was being impulsive. The blood dripped from my hand in sickening yet enticing droplets. I looked over at my teammates. I could have laughed at them but now was not the time. They had passed out. I was the only one left to fight. I looked back over to see Naruto's eyes grow wide as he continued to watch the blood drip from my hand. The lines on his cheeks deepened. His eyes fluctuated from blue to red and back again. He took an unsteady step back.

"Sakura, babe, why don't you go and scout out the area with Sasuke? I'll make it up to you later." He didn't even look at Sakura when he spoke. She pouted, kissed his neck, and trotted off.

"I told you I'd see you in the forest," he said. He took a step forward.

I threw the kunai down between us. It stuck in the sticky, wet grass and dirt beneath of the ground. "Take out one of your own and cut your hand as well. Throw it down next to mine." He looked at me with a mixed expression I could not unravel. Then, he took out his kunai, slashed his hand, and threw it down next to mine. His eyes never left mine.

"Whoever wins gets the other's kunai as a trophy. The blood marks it as so."

A crooked grin creased Naruto's face. "How about this," he began and took the kunai stained with my blood from the ground. "I fight with the kunai with your blood and you fight with mine."

I shrugged and took Naruto's kunai from the ground. The blood had already clotted and dried on the blade. I felt a rush of excitement when I looked at that blade. I felt powerful holding something covered in blood, the thing that runs through us and helps keep us going. To have that put on a weapon, to have a weapon with your own blood attack you, it was an appalling yet exciting thought.

I set my body, ready to spring into action. I wanted this. I wanted this fight. Somehow, it seemed like the thing that I needed to do. I needed to fight this version of Naruto. I needed to fight off the one thing that I knew the real Naruto had feared he may have become. I thought back to Gaara. I had heard rumors prior to him becoming Kazekage. Supposedly, he had killed without any emotion. He hadn't cared. He loved the blood and screaming and pain that violence created. I remembered getting a Message one day and it was of two boys, one blond and one with blood red hair. Their hands were clasped together as the blond kept the other boy supported. You could practically see the tie the two shared. They knew each other's pain like no one else possible could. They had a bond that went deeper than blood. The faces had been blurred except for Gaara's. Now I knew who the blond was. It was Naruto. Two Jinchurriki, one pain: the ever encroaching pain of loneliness.

I would change that. I would end Naruto's loneliness. This pained, angry Naruto that was so different yet so alike compared to the real Naruto. After this fight, I would have to do something far more rash than what I had already done. I would have t- my thoughts were interrupted when Naruto spoke. "Tell me something." A mean smile crossed his face. "Do you know how to fight a demon?"


	24. Chapter 24

I felt a rock form in my stomach. A demon…that's what he believed? He thought he was a demon because of that dumb fox spirit? His comment made me go stiff. I clutched his kunai so hard my knuckles went white.

"No, but every day is a chance to learn something new, right?" I asked with sarcasm dripping from my voice. I cold, hard shell settled over my heart and soul. I was becoming someone I never wanted to be. I had to be this way. I needed to be hard.

Naruto came at me with my kunai. I dodged easily, but realized too late that this was what he wanted. Behind him was a shadow clone with another kunai. I dodged this one. It continued, shadow clone after shadow clone until I grew bored. I leapt back into a nearby tree. I crouched on my perch and shouted, "Is that all you can do? I'm getting bored over here!"

Naruto looked tired out. He obviously had expected me to be beaten down easily. I could have laughed at his annoyed expression. It was priceless to see someone so cocky taken down a peg. I needed to catch him off guard. My hands moved in a blur as I prepared a jutsu. "Earth Style: Ruined Pillars Jutsu!"

Rocky pillars shot out from the ground all around us. They uprooted trees and tore open the earth. It was a thrilling site. The pillars formed a sort of teepee around the area in which we were fighting. It was meant to keep everyone in and the rest of the world out. But this jutsu also had multiple uses. I would reveal them to Naruto shortly.

I hopped down from the tree, twirling the kunai on my index finger. I waited.

"You wanna know what your problem is?" Naruto asked as he lunged at me. I blocked his attack with my kunai and soon we began hand to hand combat, each of us with only a kunai to use as a real weapon.

"Enlighten me," I commanded a few moments later. I pulled back and did a few hand signs. Small pillars formed around Naruto's body and he was trapped by the solid rock. It wouldn't last very long, but at least it would give me a chance to chill out.

He gave me a cold smile. "You don't know when to quit. If taking me into a weird garden place during the exam wasn't enough, you're still keeping it up."

I took a few steps forward so that my face was inches from his. "Do you want to know what your problem is?" He didn't answer. I continued anyway. "You put on this façade that you don't give a crap about anyone else around you. You believe that you can handle anything that comes your way. If you stay closed off, alone, cold, you'll be safe. Nothing will touch you." A took a slight step closer. "But you want to know what the truth is? If nothing touches you then you will never truly live. You look at this world with hatred because you believe what it has told you. You believe that you are a demon just because you have the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within you. You know what? If you truly believe you are a demon, then you are. You are the only one that can change yourself. I wonder," I pause and take a slight step closer. "What would you do if something did touch you, if you actually felt? Tell me, Fox. What would you do?"

I locked eyes with him. I could see such regret, hatred and sadness mixed in those beautiful pools of blue that I wanted to look away. I couldn't stand that I had caused those feelings in his eyes. But I hadn't. They were brought to the surface by my comments, previously smothered by Naruto's denial.

"You're wrong," he growled.

I laughed a low, harsh laugh. "You wish I was wrong." I took a final step forward, my nose just barely brushing his. "I know exactly what your problem is because I had the same one until I sucked it up and realized nothing comes from nothing. You'll die an empty shell. I'll ask you again. What would you do if you actually felt something, anything? What would you do, Fox?" I was shaking so hard. I barely had control over my stutter. I wanted to lean down and kiss him, to test him, to see how he would react. I didn't, though. I held back.

With the little mobility he had, he was able to lean closer to me. He bit my bottom lip, puncturing it. He licked the blood away and then pulled back. I had never been more turned on. It was that fire I had seen in Naruto when we had slept together that lit his eyes at that moment. He could feel something, too. He began to lean closer again and when he was only a fourth of an inch away from my lips he stopped. Suddenly, he burst from the small column prison that criss-crossed his body. He grabbed me around the waist and pressed my kunai to my throat. I had been caught totally off guard. I should have been on my toes, ready. Instead, I let myself get distracted by my hormones.

_You are nothing, Ruin. That's why you died. You were too weak to live_, my inner voice snarled at me. I wanted to ignore it but couldn't. The old feelings of despair and weakness began to settle in my body, my old companions. I didn't want to be weak but I knew I was. This new me was just a façade. It needed to end.

_Prove the world wrong, Ruin. Prove that you are not weak! _I tried as hard as I may push out any negative thoughts. I needed to beat Naruto. I needed to finish Meseru's task. I felt like I was getting whiplash from this emotional task. What was the end result going to be? I hardly understood what Meseru was planning here. From what I had already seen of this world, excluding my parents, I didn't like it.

I closed my eyes and focused. I needed to block out the feeling of Naruto's body pressed against mine. Focus. Focus. I moved my fingers ever so slightly but I knew Naruto had noticed. Just as he was about to press the kunai in for it's fatal blow, the jutsu was complete. His body slumped onto the grass behind me. I had performed a special jutsu known by only the Messengers. It was called Sweet Dreams Jutsu because it knocked out your opponent if they had any part of their body touching yours. It set the opponent into a blissful sleep but throughout the entire time, underneath this peaceful slumber, the attacker (me) would be able to do whatever they wanted. I decided to just leave him there, sleeping. But before I left I left my kunai behind with a note wrapped around it.

The note said, quite simply, "This isn't over."


	25. Chapter 25

I was uncomfortable for the rest of the task. On my toes. My teammates had come to after I had carried them away from Naruto. I had a surprising amount of strength. Of course, I barely had any chakra left after having to take down the pillars that surrounded the Naruto and my battlefield. I felt weak yet alert at the same time. I couldn't relax.

We were lucky, my group and I. After that event, Sasano and Mosco let me help. We didn't even have to fight to get a Heaven Scroll. We stumbled across a squad that had been taken down my some giant leach-like things. I would rather forget about that. The bodies were shriveled up. It was like there was nothing left but the skin.

We were among the few who made it out of the forest alive. I soon learned that Gaara wasn't actually there to become a Chunnin. He had a squad of his own and he had come for support. It was a weird thing for me. Gaara had ended up with a better life than Naruto than vice versa. It was both a good thing and a bad thing. Naruto had been screwed, but Gaara…Gaara was better than ever. He was _smiling_ for God's sake!

Moving on from that I looked around to see how many squads had made it. There weren't many of us. Some kids had come in by themselves or with only one of their other team members. The Forest had taken many lives this time around, more than usual. I felt a surge of empathy for these other people, the ones who had made it and the ones who hadn't. The Forest of Death left its mark, may it be visible or not. It truly was torture to be sent in there. I hated it. I was lucky. I had come out of there with only a few scratches and a bruise or two. My teammates were being treated to some medical attention. I was receiving resentful glares from those who hadn't been as lucky. They were stupid to think that I liked being well. I would have preferred to have been injured, somehow. I needed pain.

I pushed away from the wall, done brooding. I strolled around the circular room. I was surrounded by hushed conversations and gauze. Where was Sumara?

"Out of the way!" called an urgent voice. I whipped around just in time to see someone being rolled in on a gurney, medical ninja hurrying alongside it. "Move it! This girl is in critical condition!" I caught site of the raven black hair. Sumara. I leapt over a pair of ninja talking and pushed through all the people. I needed to be by her side. She was my friend. I was about there, just about to touch the cool metal and ask a medical ninja what I could do when I was stopped. I was stopped by Sumara's real life boyfriend. _Yikes._

"Where do you think you're going?" He didn't sound like he was being confrontational nor did he sound like he thought I was up to anything. He just sounded curious.

"The girl there," I pointed at the shrinking form of the gurney and medical ninja, "she's my friend. I have to make sure she's okay." I saw empathy flash through Gaara's eyes. And then it was replaced by concern.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Hurry before someone catches you." I looked him in the eye and saw a mischievous glint there. This was so weird. I grinned though, and speed-walked down the hall after the gurney.

I caught up with a woman who was at the end of the gurney closest to me. "What happened?" I asked.

She looked at me for a moment before sighing. "I have no idea, honey. She just stopped. There is no sign of trauma at all. It's perplexing to say the least."

"She'll be alright though, right?" I asked, almost pleaded.

The exact expression that had just been on Gaara's face a few moments prior crossed this woman's face. "Honey, we'll do the best we can to help your friend." Then she left me with a squeeze of my shoulder as goodbye. The door to the ER whooshed behind her. The red light above the door lit up.

I backed away slowly, the world around me going in and out of focus. This was all my fault. If I hadn't taken that dumb task Sumara wouldn't be faced with death. I felt like the wall were closing in on me. I stumbled back. I gasped for air. My chest constricted. My stomach rolled with a wave of nausea. I could feel my knees give out. I fell to the floor. No doubt that tomorrow there would be big blue bruises as marks of this. That didn't matter though. I felt sick in my body and my soul. I clutched at my stomach and heaved. I felt cool hands pull back my long hair from my face. The knee of this person pressed into my back. When I was done I tried to turn my face away from this mystery person but they still had a grip on my hair. They tugged my head back. I was pulled like a puppet to face the mystery person. I was expecting some random person who had thought helping me out would be a good karma. The person I saw was someone I would never have expected to come to my rescue, at least not in this world.

Naruto.

I felt my face burn with shame. I tapped his hand that was still wrapped in my hair. He let go, letting the white strands fall through his fingers. He looked like it was the best sensation in the world. We were both scrunched down. One of his legs pressed against my back while his arm blocked me from moving away in the front. Was this his plan: trap me when I was weakest? I was about to lash out when I heard a sharp intake of breath come from him.

"I-um, are you okay?"

I froze. "Why would you care?"

"I was once told that the people who hate you actually care the most about you. Looks like we care a lot about each other."

I stared at him with stern eyes. "I don't hate you."

This caught him off guard. "You don't?"

I shrugged. "Why would I?"

He sat down then and scooted up against the wall. I followed suit. "I'm a demon. That's why you should hate me."

I took a good long look at him, making sure he noticed. "You look human to me. Let me check your soul, though." I stared into his eyes. He looked so vulnerable. "Well, I see nothing corrupt there. You're a Jinchurriki which means you're someone who carries a demon inside. It does not mean that you are a demon in human form."

I leaned away from him, got comfortable, and stared into space. "You're the first person to ever tell me that," he whispered.

I stayed quiet. I knew that this was just the beginning to what was about to come out.

"When I was a kid, I thought that I was some sort of alien because I had no parents. I was taken care of, sometimes. When I was maybe five years old I had to take care of myself. It was always just me. I would go to the store and buy all the food I needed. I got money from people who felt bad for a little kid who had no family to speak of. I hated their pity. Then, when I would try and play with the other kids, their parents would usher them away with a fearful expression on their faces. I never understood why until I heard two Jounin talking. They talked about an attack that had occurred many years ago. It had been the Nine Tailed Fox that had attacked; the Fourth defeated him. Then the Fox was sealed within me.

"I broke into one of the secret areas that held the scrolls telling of the attack. It mentioned that many children were killed, including a child named Iruka. I'm still not sure why that name is stuck with me. I felt responsible for the lives the Kyuubi had taken. I also felt guilty. After that I became hermit. I hid away, only leaving my home for the bare essentials. Then, one day I decided I could use this hate that I had and put it to good use. That was when I decided to join the Ninja Academy." He glanced over at me, a pained expression marring his beautiful face. Then he slammed his head back into the wall. "Why am I telling you this?"

"I don't know," I whispered.

He slammed his fist into the ground. "Well neither do I! I just…ugh!" Then he stood and stalked off. I slumped over, holding my head in my hands. My head throbbed from post-vomit sickness. I wanted nothing more than to sink into nothingness. I wanted to give up on this task. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. It just didn't make sense!

"Meseru!" I yelled. "Meseru, why are you doing this?" My outburst was answered by nothing but silence. If only I had the luxury of ignorance. But no, I had to go through this.

The main problem was that I had no idea what I was meant to do. I mean, understood that Meseru had given me the life that I had always wanted, but then that screwed up everyone else. I didn't understand how. Was that the point? That I wouldn't understand? No, that didn't make sense. No one ever really understands life. A person may get a basic idea, but never really know what was going on. You could try and live in the ignorant bliss, claiming you know it all, but you don't. No one can never know it all. If someone did, their head might explode.


	26. Chapter 26

"I just want to let you all know that you have made it to the next round," announced an annoyingly short man. There were only about ten kids around me, thirteen at the most. Not a lot of kids had made it. Not a lot of squads had come out as a whole. It was unsettling to see that so many had been lost.

"You will have a month to prepare. That is all." This was taken as a ways of dismissal. A low buzz of conversation burst forth from the tense silence. I didn't care about comparing scars with these kids. I needed to check on Sumara.

I hurried out of the room, head ducked down low. Now I just needed to figure out where I was. I was worried, so worried. I felt timid. I was unsure of what to do next.

"You're supposed to leave," I heard a voice grumble from behind me. I didn't turn around. I knew who it was.

I took the corridor to my right and hurried along my way. I couldn't relax until I knew Sumara was alright. That was my main concern. It was killing me. I needed to know.

"Damn it all!" I exclaimed when I came upon a dead end. This place was a gigantic maze. I whirled around, about to try the other way, when I saw that someone had been following me. The someone was the one person I couldn't deal with. I brushed past him and went back down the hall. This time, it appeared that the room had shifted. This was totally not my day.

It took me a few minutes but I finally found the medical wing of the building. He was still following me. I walked over to the front desk as nonchalantly as possible. "Can you give me any information about a patient here? Her name is Sumara." The nurse nodded. She flipped through a stack of papers.

"Yes, there was a Sumara here. I'm afraid you can't see her, though."

"Why not?"

"She has been transferred to a different hospital. There needs to be a few tests done on your friend. I'm sure she'll be fine."

I stepped back slowly, letting the words sink in. Was it over? Was my test over?

A phone rang just as I was about to be out of earshot. "Yes, sir. I understand." The nurse pauses as she listened to the person on the other line. "No, I don't know of any of her relatives. Well, maybe. Just a moment, sir." She pressed the phone to her shoulder. "Honey! Could you come back for a moment?" I scurried back. "Are you Sumara's sister?"

I felt myself nodding yes.

She sighed. "I got this, sir. Alright, see you then." She hung up the phone. Her eyes were heavy with a grief that shouldn't be hers to bear. "Your sister just passed away, darling."

The world froze. I felt like the floor had opened up, pulling me down and down into nothing. My knees buckled and I fell forward. Someone caught my by my elbow. "Oh my God. It's all my fault," was all I could say. I felt the cool surface of a wall press itself against my back. I felt sick. I did _not _want to vomit again. "It's all my fault. It's all my fault." I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me, press me against a strong chest, and I felt soothed. A rapid heart beat helped me relax. The sound of life could somehow always make me feel better. Though I was relaxed, I still felt sick inside.

There were no other noises besides my sobbing. "It's all my fault." My chest ached.

I heard a voice ask, "Why is it your fault?"

"It's all my fault. It's all my fault." I couldn't say anything else.

"What is your name?" the voice asked.

_Ruin, you agreed to these tasks. Face the facts, this is all your fault._ Sumara's words from a few days ago echoed in my head. She was right. It was all my fault.

Suddenly, the question that the voice had just asked me leaked through. "Huh?"

"What's your name?"

"My n-n-n-name is Ruina, but I p-p-prefer Ruin," I whispered.

"Was that girl really your sister?"

"No," I breathed.

There was a deep confusion in the voice when it asked, "Then why are you so sad?"

I looked up. The voice belonged to none other than Naruto. I was in so much shock that I cupped his cheek in my hand, not realizing that this was entirely inappropriate for strangers to do. "She was my good friend. I cared about her. And because of me, she's dead."

"How is it your fault, though?"

I knew that this was the one question I could not answer, but I did anyway. "Because I'm the one who is dead."

An explosion of color surrounded me as I was lifted from a now frozen-in-time Naruto's arms. Then, I was slammed through the fabric of time until I came upon Meseru.

"What just happened out there?" I demanded.

He shook his head. "You told him. You told him the truth."

"What's so wrong with that?"

"No one except Sumara was allowed to know the truth."

I stiffened. "You never said anything about that."

"You failed your task, Ruina."

My breath caught. "W-w-what?"

"Sumara is alive. Your task was to see how you would handle death under pressure. You caved, giving away your most delicate of secrets. You failed."

"How was I supposed to kn-"

"That's not the point, Ruina!" boomed Meseru. "In a way, it didn't matter that Sumara died in that reality. To tell anyone the truth would have meant you failed. Don't tell anyone in your next task, Ruina. Don't you want to be with you love?"

I gulped. "Ye-ye-yes," I stuttered.

"Then you must try and figure out the key to understanding each task. If you fulfill this second one, then you may return to your world." He paused, stroking his long beard. "Sumara," he called.

Out came Sumara, completely healthy and alive. "Ruin! I'm so sorry that happened. I had no choice." She rushed over and hugged me. I was immediately calmed by the embrace.

"Are you prepared for your next task?" Meseru asked me in a foreboding tone.

_Not exactly, _I thought. Out loud I said,_ "Yes." _

Then the second task began.


	27. Chapter 27

There are times in life when you have no choice but to go along with whatever current you got sucked into. That was the situation then, when I was being bounced through realities. I wanted nothing more than to curl up against Naruto's chest and be back at that river bank, where I felt so safe and complete that nothing else could possibly compare. But there I was, hurtling towards my next destination, my next hell dimension. My next chance at life.

"Ruina, get your ass out of bed before I get it out for you!" I heard a now-familiar voice call from behind my door. I was back in the room of my could-be life. It was startling how much I didn't want to leave my warm cocoon of sheets. I could have stayed there for a bit longer. I was so comfortable, and suddenly so tired. "Do not make me come in there!" My self-preservation instincts kicked in. I was out of bed and down the hall within five minutes.

The feeling around the kitchen felt light and relaxed. My father sat at the kitchen table, red hair and all. My mother was hunched over the sink, scrubbing a dish. I sat down at the table, drank some orange juice, tried to seem normal. Did this version of me even like orange juice? Did _I _even like orange juice? I realized too late that I did not. I tried to spit it out in an inconspicuous manner. It didn't really work.

"I thought you liked orange juice, honey," my father said.

I forced a grin. "Just a seed," I mumbled. Do oranges have seeds?

He winked and went back to his paper. Or maybe he didn't wink. Maybe it was just an eye twitch. I shook my head. I was overanalyzing everything. _Act natural _I ordered myself once more. My mother turned from the dishes with a pained smile. "Ruin, could you get to the shop, please? We just had a big rush in orders so you are needed."

I shrugged, grabbed a bread roll, and rushed out the door. The sooner I got this over with the better.

The sky was dark with the menacing promise of rain, yet it appeared that the whole town was our and about. I didn't really know where I was going. That was one of the many problems about alternate realities. I had no sense of direction. I decided to follow the steady stream of people with the assumption that they would lead me somewhere. I came to an abrupt halt when I slammed into someone's shoulder. The person was very rude and ignored me. I shrugged and glanced around. There it was. The storefront that towered before me seemed so familiar yet I couldn't recall anytime I had seen it prior to that moment. It was like trying to remember something from a dream. I shook away the déjà vu feeling and pushed open the door. As I made my way in I flipped the sign from CLOSED to OPEN. I clicked on a light as I shrugged off my sweater.

"Wow," was all I could say when I saw what the store sold. It sold everything. There were weapons and scented candles and those stupid Make-Out Paradise books and so much more. There were socks and underwear and make-up and how-to books. It was a bit rattling to see so much in such a small, cramped space.

I heard a soft tinkling of a bell. I glanced back to see a flash of black hair. "Sumara?"

A sarcastic laugh was my answer. Then the laugh turned into a voice. "How you liking reality?

I shrugged. "It's confusing." I found a coat rack in the EMPLOYEES ONLY closet. I pulled on a rainbow apron over my white dress. The dress included a rope belt. The outfit was very similar to the one I had been wearing in the real world. Or was it similar to my outfit from the last reality, which was the real reality. I shook my head. I was beginning to lose track of which reality was real.

When I came out I found Sumara in a similar apron sitting on the counter. I nudged her off as I fiddled with some contraption on the counter. "What is this?"

I heard a tired sigh from behind me. "So it really is true that you were locked up for practically your whole life. This, my dear ignoramus, is a cash register. It's used to store money, and it also helps calculate the change and all that crap." She pushed a few buttons, knocked the register in the side once or twice, and it made a _ping!_ noise.

I moved aside and sat down on an overstuffed chair. It wasn't the prettiest thing, but it was comfy. "Is there anything that I need to know for this task?"

She shrugged as she rummaged in a drawer. "Just a few things. One, don't tell anyone or gameover. You would have to start all over in your last task. Two, that this task has higher stakes than the last one. And three, he's different. Oh, just to give you a bit of back story." She slammed the drawer, grabbed a broom, and began to sweep. "The Village Hidden in the Leaves has created a melded village with the Village Hidden in the Ruins. Also, the Village Hidden in the Sand has been destroyed. It happened in the Third Shinobi World War. There was a Jinchuriki and he lost control. He killed everyone." Her voice had grown small. I didn't really know what to do. I could recall visions of events like this, where a friend is hurting. The other friend was meant to comfort them. But what was comfort? What did that truly mean? I understood how she felt, but that didn't mean I wanted to bond over pain. A bond of pain only leads to more pain.

"At least this place is all a figment in Meseru's imagination. In the real world, he's alive and well, and probably waiting for you." A shrug was her only response.

For a few minutes we stood in absolute silence. It wasn't the awkward kind, it was the decided kind. We both needed the quiet to process what we truly had gotten ourselves into. A kindly old man came in to browse. He smiled at Sumara and me repeatedly. She looked creeped out. I felt appreciated. The man bought a box of matches, a few scented candles, and a bottle of spirits.

"Got a special night planned?" I asked in a cheery voice.

The man winked at me and gave me a toothy smile. "Each night with my lady is a special night." He laughed politely at his own joke, as if he himself had not even told it. He tipped his hat to us then left.

I felt a pang in my heart. I bit down on my tongue. This life was so tormenting. I was bored out of my mind. My heart ached. I wanted nothing more than to grow old with Naruto. I bet he would be just like that old man. What would happen to him if I didn't make it? How would he move on? Was there anything I didn't tell him? Was there anything he didn't tell me? It was torture! I couldn't handle the not knowing, the absolute lack of an important knowledge that could change the way I viewed my life, or my afterlife, whichever. Whatever I wanted didn't matter. It was all about the people around me from now on. I needed to get over my feelings. The world wasn't going to just let me get out alive. I had_ died _for Pete's sake. I never did matter. Though Naruto had pushed me, tried to make me see myself as he saw me, I just knew. I didn't matter. I never had. What really truly mattered was whether or not Naruto could move on. What mattered was that I was using up his precious time. He needed to train, needed to focus on becoming Hokage.

"Ruin, what are you thinking?" Sumara had walked over to me while I had had my mental rant.

"Nothing," I murmured.

"Doesn't look like nothing," she said. I looked at her in confusing. She simply nodded at my hand. I glanced down. In my hand I was holding the kunai that I had won in my fight with Naruto. How odd that it would survive the realities. His dried blond was caked onto it. I had been rubbing my thumb up and down the blade.

"Sumara, it's time we took control of the situation."

"What do you mean?"

I looked over at her. I was cooking up a plan. It was stupid, I knew that. But of course, the whole world could be a little bit stupid. And it was crazy. It was extremely crazy. I was willing to risk it, though. For the sake of saving Naruto from himself, from his own grief. I just needed to get to him. To defeat whatever needed defeating. After that, I already knew what would happen after that, but I didn't want to think about it nor say it out loud. The thought of it broke my heart. I couldn't help but question myself. Why couldn't I just be selfish and stop this dumb plan? Why couldn't I just let him be happy? If he was happy, then I was happy. But it was already decided, I wouldn't go back. I couldn't. Do you want to know why? The reason is because no matter how much I let myself believe it, I just couldn't let myself be happy. Not then.

"Ruin, you're making me nervous here. I don't get nervous, ever. What the hell is going on?"

I brushed past her, tore off my apron and turned back to face her. "You look like you've been possessed," she pointed out.

I stabbed the kunai into the countertop. "I guess I have been, just a little bit."

"What the hell? You never struck me as the type to actually take control of any situation."

I rolled my eyes. I looked her over and tried to pull on her façade of never ending confidence. I couldn't help but stutter when I said, "J-j-just shut up and f-f-f-follow my lead." I pulled the kunai out of the countertop and went to the door.

As we left the store, I heard her murmur in a sarcastic tone, "Little Ruin is still in there somewhere, the stutter is proof!"

I had to laugh at that. She thought I was changing. Really, this had been the way I was my entire life. I had only just gotten the chance to shine through.


	28. Chapter 28

We ran down the dirty street. It was clustered with venders and patrons, hollering at each other for better bargains. It had never been like this in my reality. Or at least, not that I knew of. It was confusing, to see all this rushing and liveliness out of a place that didn't really exist. I knew what did exist. Naruto. Me. Sumara. Everyone else in the real world existed. This was just a dream.

"Sumara," I hollered.

She was a few feet behind me. I was really, what's it called? Making her dust eat me? No that's not right. The point was, I was way in front of her. She had to jog to catch up to me. "What?" She was irritated. It was obvious she didn't like not knowing what was going on.

"You come from the Village Hidden in the Dreams, correct?"

She nodded. "Yeah what's it to you?"

I rolled my eyes. "This 'reality' is like a dream, right?"

Sumara stopped, forcing me to do so as well. "A little bit, but I don't know what you're getting at. This is a _reality_."

"How was it created?"

Her forehead scrunched up. "Um, in Meseru's mind."

"Like a dream."

Her eyes lit up with recognition. "Whoa, no way! I am not going to do what you are thinking!"

I put my hands on my hips. "What am I thinking?"

Sumara grabbed my elbow and pulled me to the side of the road. "I am not going to do anything here. It's too big to do anything with."

"What are your abilities when it comes to dreams?"

She sighed. "I'm a Dream Walker. I'm one of the few of my village. I can create and tear down dreams. I can watch your dreams without you knowing and I can get your inner-most secrets. Some may call it spying, I just call it sleeping." She sounded like she had said this a million times before. I guess she had.

"Tear it down," I ordered.

"Excuse me?" Sumara looked pissed.

"You heard me, Sumara. The only way we can beat this is if you tear it down. Destroy the reality."

"Shhhh! He can hear everything."

"Well, at least he knows what's going to happen now," I said with a shrug.

"You don't get it! He's way more powerful than me," she tried to argue. I shook my head. It was pointless.

"What happens if you die in a dream?"

She sighed, almost defeated. "You wake up."

"And if you die here…?"

She socked me in the shoulder. "You go back to reality," Sumara snarled. "Fine, but you seriously owe me." I gave her a quick hug and started to run. "Where the hell are you going?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," I called over my shoulder as I rounded the corner.

The truth was, I had only thought up to that point. The convincing Sumara part had taken up a lot of my brain power. I didn't expect her to agree so willingly. _Just focus on making a plan, Ruina. This is all for him_. With that thought in mind, I pushed forward. Perhaps if I found the epicenter of this place I could find the exit.

The world around me had gone silent. I stopped. It had been so sudden I doubted anyone had not noticed it. I looked around, checking my surroundings. All the people were gone. "Nice work, Sumara," I whispered. She was ahead of me, figuratively speaking. I needed to keep going. I watched as everything behind me gradually began to fade. I had to figure out where the heart of this world was. But how?

A crashing vision hurtled through my mind. Flashes of ancient stone and blood clawed their way through my brain. I fell to my knees and had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming in agony. More images, so fast I could hardly make them out. What felt like hours had only been seconds when the vision finally left me. I knew where I needed to go.

I rushed forward until I was deep into the forest that connected the Hidden Leaf and my village. I could hear the crashing of the giant trees around me, the breaking of the rock beneath my feet. There was so much turmoil in this world; Sumara wasn't helping. I followed the instructions from my vision. When I came upon the absolute center of the forest, I slammed my palm into the large tree there. A high pitched ringing filled the air. I forced myself not to clamp down on my ears. A hole appeared in the ground a few moments later. I glanced down, held my breath, and jumped. My landing was rough but I rolled out of it.

Suddenly, I cried out with pain. I grasped my right arm. It felt like it had been broken in at least two places. Using my endless years of causing myself pain, I pushed through the ache of my arm with a numbness I knew well. I continued down a dark hall, my arm limp at my side. When I slammed into a wall I knew I had made it. I shook my head and pushed with all my might against the wall. It didn't budge. I slammed my palm against the stone and yelled, "By the power of the Messengers I command thee to open!"

The rock began to slide underneath my fingers. I waited until it was far enough up for me to crawl through before I entered. The room was dark except for rainbows that jumped up around the room at random intervals. I felt myself begin to grow weaker. I didn't have much time.

"Ruina, what are you doing here?" a familiar voice asked.

I froze. _No, it can't be. It's not possible, is it?_

"Ruin, love, what are you doing?" A flash of rainbow and I saw a piece of his face. I bit down on my lip.

"I know it's not really you."

There was silence. Then, "It's me, believe it!"

I focused all my chakra in the space behind my eyes. "Fly on the wall jutsu," I whispered. I looked around using my jutsu. It enabled me to see from all angles of the room. But I didn't have a chance to fully complete the jutsu. A large hand grasped my neck. I couldn't even gasp. My windpipe constricted, I was beginning to feel my head go numb.

"You disappoint me, Ruina. I expected so much more from you." This time, the voice was not _his_. It was someone far more powerful.

Meseru laughed with malice as he squeezed the life out of me.

Where had this come from?

"You won't leave, Ruina. Don't you see? You were never meant to leave. There was no possible way for you to defeat these tasks. You were dead either way." I tried to pry his hand off my throat but it was no use. "You see, Ruin, when someone dies they will never come back. Especially a stupid Messenger. You cause wars and famines. You cause death and destruction. If the Messengers cease to exist, then men will no longer lose their lives fighting over your power. You will stay dead and the world can go on without you. No one will even notice you're gone."

_But someone will notice. He will notice I'm gone. I know that. I'm so sorry, Naruto. I'm sorry I was going to break your heart for my own selfish reasons. I'm sorry I couldn't make it out of here alive. I want only your forgiveness, my love. I have caused you so much pain and suffering. Naruto, I was going to tell you I didn't love you anymore. I was going to tell you that I didn't remember you. Forgive me for this, my love. Please…_

Gone

Her body went limp only a few moments after Meseru had gotten his grip around her puny neck. He dropped her to the ground unceremoniously. "The world is better off."

"You monster!" cried a new voice. A flash of metal met Meseru's forearm. He simply ignored it.

"Sumara, you disappoint me."

"Me? _I _disappoint _you?_ You've got this all wrong, buddy. How could you do this to her?"

"I have saved countless lives with a single death."

"No, you've gotten rid of your competition."

Meseru stiffened at this remark. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. All you care about is saving your own skin." She tried to strike again but still Meseru was too fast for her.

"You damned her."

"If I had let her go she would have damned us all."

Sumara took a step back, panting. She had used up practically all of her chakra destroying the realm. She only had enough left to do what she had to. Or at least, she hoped she had enough.

_If you're out there, please come and help me. You know it's you I'm calling. Please, help me. Help her._

The ground began to quake. Then, it split apart beneath Meseru's feet. Being extremely agile for his age, he simple jumped to the side of it and around.

Luxe emerged, shrouded in light, her hair floating around her.

Luxe spoke, and her voice sounded like thousands of angels. "Meseru, for too long you have controlled the Messengers and their powers. You did not destroy my daughter to help the world. You destroyed her so you may be able to have even more power over the realm of the spirits, and the realm of the humans. I banish you to the Shadowlands, where you will serve an eternity in a torture fit for someone like you." At that, Sumara spat at the ground. "Would you like to go willingly?"

Meseru's face showed nothing but defiance. "What right do you have to banish me? Where is your power your authority?"

"You wish to see my power? Very well," Luxe said, then began to howl into the air in such a ghostly wail that even Sumara was forced to cover he ears.

Thousands of souls burst from the seam in the floor. They tackled Meseru on all sides and pulled him down. "This isn't over, Luxe. Remember that!" he cried.

The souls pulled harder until Meseru simply melted into the floor with the souls behind him. "I know, my brother. I know."

Luxe turned to Sumara's cowering form. "Child, thank you for calling me here."

Sumara bowed. "Your thanks is not necessary. I should be the one thanking you."

The floating figure turned to her pale daughter. "What will become of her?" Sumara asked.

A ghostly tear trailed down Luxe's translucent face. "There is only one way for her to live."

Sumara clung at this. "What is it?"

"I will sacrifice my soul in exchange for hers. She will be freed from damnation."

"But what about you?"

Luxe's face was serene. "I have lived for so long with no purpose. Now, I realize my death was not in vain. It was for this moment that I died. I am here to rescue her. My daughter." She floated closer, pressed her fading hand to Ruin's face and whispered. "Everything I do is for you, my daughter."

Ruin

The moment I opened my eyes, I could feel nothing but the warm glow of love around me. "W-w-where am I?"

I rubbed the back of my head and tried to sit up but a pair of strong hands stopped me. "No, Ruin, lie down. Rest."

I gasped and held firm to the hands. "Naruto?" I whispered.

I blinked my eyes several times and I saw him. My Naruto. He looked the same as when I had died and yet he seemed even more unreal. He was smiling. Tears streamed down his face as he stared down at me. "Yes, love. It's me."

That's when I burst into tears. "Shhh…" he whispered as he pulled me into his arms. I pressed my face into his chest. I sobbed uncontrollably as the pain from all the past days was released.

"I c-c-c-can't be-be-"

"Hush, Ruin. Just relax. I'll take you home." Then I was flying. I soon fell asleep in his arms.

When I woke up again, I was snuggled deep in a bed with mismatched sheets. A single window overhead leaked light. I turned my head to see a bedside table with a picture of a much younger Naruto and Sakura, with Kakashi and a boy with black hair. _Sasuke?_ Yes, it did look an awful lot like that one skipping boy from my first task. I smelled a whiff of ramen in the air and saw a carton of milk on the ground next to my bed. It had expired a month ago. Then I knew. I was in Naruto's home.

I pushed myself up on my elbows but found it extremely difficult. That was unusual. It shouldn't have made a difference that I had been dead. I was in a new version of my body because the other had been burned. But everything about my body was the same. Then I glanced down to see what was wrong. _Oh my-_

"Naruto!" I yelled. I heard a crash in the other room and then he was kneeling next to me in the next instant.

"What? What is it?"

I pulled back my sheets to reveal my bulging stomach. "Care to explain?"

"Scoot over," he ordered. I did so and he slipped into bed beside me. "When you died, the doctors told me something that seemed like such a curse at the time. But now, I know it's a blessing. Ruin, I don't really know how to tell you this but…" he paused. "You're pregnant."

"I-I'm what?"

He pressed his hand to my cheek and whispered. "We're going to have a child of our own."

The tears sprang to my eyes. "Will it-will it-"

"Be a Messenger? If we don't activate his or her powers, he or she will never be a Messenger."

"Naruto, this is so…"

"What?"

I grasped the hand that was pressed to my face. "Next to you, this is the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Over 9 Months Later

"Let me hold her!" Sumara whined.

I cradled the soft bundle of my daughter in my arms in the small apartment. "Be quiet or you'll wake her."

"But Ruin!"

"Shut up!" I yelled/whispered.

"Have you named her yet?" Sumara whispered now, finally complying with my command.

"Naruto is still trying to figure it out." I paused. "He's outside with Gaara right now."

Sumara perked at the sound of her own love's name. "He's here?"

"I thought you knew."

She shrugged. "He's been off on some official Kazekage business for awhile now. But, if he's here…" she paused and rushed over to a reflective piece of glass and began fixing her hair.

I sighed. She was so fussy when it came to Gaara. About a month or two before I had given birth, she and Gaara had come by to visit. Naruto pointed out that Gaara was awfully happy. He even had his arm wrapped around Sumara's waist. To me, there was no comparison to the kind Gaara I had met in my task to the one that was there. In a way, I guess Gaara's life and suffering had made him a better person. Kind of like what Naruto's life helped him do.

"Come on! Let's go see the guys!" Sumara yelled as she rushed out the door.

When I finally made my way out to where they were, the sun was nearly gone. "You brought her with you!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped to his feet to take the child from me. I smiled in thanks to him and took a seat underneath the large tree we were by.

"Does she have a name?" Gaara asked in his gravelly voice.

"Not yet," Naruto whispered as he stared down in wonder at his tiny daughter.

"A name can do a lot of thing to one's life, Naruto," Gaara replied.

"Hush," Sumara said softly to Gaara. There was pain in his eyes but when he looked at her it vanished.

Naruto passed the child down to Sumara and came walking over to me. "I know what I want to name her."

"What?"

"Luxe, in honor of your mother." He wrapped his arms around me as I let a silent tear fall.

"It's perfect."

You have no idea the amount of bliss simple moments like that can give you. There is something so priceless and innocent about it. There is no way to avoid them nor should you wish to.

Dying was the world really telling me that I had truly been reborn. I was no longer that scared, sad girl who cut herself to get rid of all the anger and terrible visions. The scars would remain there, battle scars from my endless self-torment. A reminder. The life that I have is the one that I want, forever and always. No matter how bad it gets, I will never cause myself pain like that. I will never contemplate the ending of my life. I'm just as important as the rest of the world, and in Naruto's eyes, as well as my daughter's, I _am _the world.

Naruto had found me, and in turn, I had found myself.

* * *

**A/N: If you liked this story, go to my profile and read _Time to Waste _which is a Neji/OC story. PLEASE READ! AND THANK ALL OF YOU SO MUCH FOR READING _Finding Ruin._**


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